Bulk ingredients

Dispatches from DCAT Week

'Chindia' drug substance market not to be discounted

06-Apr-2016 By Melissa Fassbender

China and India are causing a “tsunami” in the drug substance market – yet significant hurdles may bring fine chemical outsourcing back to the West.

Aesica adds dev-stage formulation capabilities for potent APIs and controlled drugs

05-Apr-2016 By Staff reporter

Aesica has doubled early formulation development capacity and added controlled drug handling capabilities at its manufacturing facility in Queenborough, UK.

IMCD opens Japan office

31-Mar-2016 By Gareth Macdonald

IMCD has opened a sales office in Japan citing growing demand for pharmaceutical fine chemicals and food ingredients.

Drug firms should share more data says environmental researcher

23-Mar-2016 By Gareth Macdonald

Drug companies should share more details of their APIs and the green credentials of the companies that supply says an award winning environmental researcher.

Siegfried and ROI: Swiss firm sees revs soar and says new API biz will drive growth

23-Mar-2016 By Gareth Macdonald

The Siegfried Group has reported record sales for fiscal 2015 and predicted the API business it bought from BASF will drive further growth this year.

CHO business: Lonza launches reformulated media for biopharma's go-to cell line

15-Mar-2016 By Gareth Macdonald

Lonza has launched a reformulated CHO media that it says supports the growth of higher density cultures and is easier to filter than currently available products.

AAI/CML claims clinical material production time reductions of 65%

14-Mar-2016 By .

AAIPharma and Cambridge Major Labs (CML) under a merged entity have driven efficiencies in end-to-end drug manufacturing, the firm says, dramatically reducing material delivery time.

Hovione to build US plant for Vertex's cystic fibrosis drugs

10-Mar-2016 By Gareth Macdonald

Hovione and Vertex Pharma have teamed up to set up a continuous manufacturing facility at the former’s site in New Jersey, US.

Powder study will help safeguard $12bn Danish drug industry, say scientists

22-Feb-2016 By Gareth Macdonald

Research examining how API particle characteristics impact drug stability will help safeguard Denmark’s $12bn (DKK80bn) a year drug manufacturing industry say scientists.

MHRA concerned about pharma's preparedness for excipient risk assessments

22-Feb-2016 By Phil Taylor

There are concerns that pharma companies are not fully prepared to meet the new requirements on risk-assessment for excipients, even though the deadline is just a few weeks away.

M&A strategy paying off for AMRI; more API acqs to come

18-Feb-2016 By Dan Stanton

Controlled substances and peptides are on AMRI’s wish list as it profits from a growth strategy which has seen six acquisitions over the past two years.

Co-locating trial and commercial manufacturing eases tech transfer and cuts cycle times, Aesica

17-Feb-2016 By Gareth Macdonald

Moving its clinical manufacturing operations to its API and drug site in Queenborough has reduced the risk of problems during tech transfer and cut cycle times according to UK CMO Aesica.

European Pharmacopoeia looks to international experts to help harmonization

16-Feb-2016 By Phil Taylor

The European Pharmacopoeia Commission (Ph. Eur.) has decided to recruit international experts to ensure the compendium evolves with the globalisation of the pharma industry.

Evonik expands silanes distribution deal with Safic-Alcan

10-Feb-2016 By Gareth Macdonald

Safic-Alcan will sell chemicals used in the synthesis of antibiotics and APIs to drug ingredient firms in Italy under a new deal with Evonik.

Earthquake proof API plants a must in Taiwan according to Scinopharm

09-Feb-2016 By Gareth Macdonald

Most buildings in Taiwan are designed to withstand earthquakes according to Scinopharm, which told us such measures allowed its Tainan plant to survive a quake that felled a neighbouring tower block last week.

Chemical distribution trade group opens door to manufacturers

08-Feb-2016 By Staff Reporter

A newly established trade group has invited chemical manufacturers to apply for membership and announced plans to look at API and pharma-related issues.

Scinopharm escapes Taiwan earthquake unscathed; API operations unaffected

08-Feb-2016 By Gareth Macdonald

Scinopharm has confirmed that its API manufacturing facility in Tainan was not damaged by the earthquake that struck Taiwan last week.

Novasep expands API lab to grow US sales after Pharmachem divestiture

02-Feb-2016 By Gareth Macdonald

Novasep has announced it is expanding API synthesis its facility in Boothwyn, Pennsylvania and confirmed that US growth is important after the sale of Pharmachem.

Catalent continues to scout acquisitions and licensing in 2016

25-Jan-2016 By Natalie Morrison

Catalent will pursue strategic acquisitions and licensing in 2016, said VP Marketing & Strategy Elliott Berger, noting growth areas include complex delivery technologies and specialised logistics.

Johnson Matthey expands Cambridge catalysis facility

21-Jan-2016 By Dan Stanton

Johnson Matthey has expanded its UK biocatalysis R&D operations in response to growing drug industry demand.

Colorcon sweetens its offering with Paulaur's pharma sugar sphere biz

19-Jan-2016 By Dan Stanton

Colorcon has acquired Paulaur Corporation’s sugar sphere business to help feed pharma’s demand for multiparticulate dosage forms.

More systems training needed to help inspectors spot data falsification say PIC/S experts

16-Dec-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

Data falsification at API facilities is getting harder to spot say regulators who have called for more systems training and international collaboration.

Exec tasked with helping Lonza address "Visp challenge" to step down

14-Dec-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

Beat In-Albon, the man tasked with improving profitability at Lonza’s manufacturing site in Visp, Switzerland, will step down at the end of the year.

Californian SU plant set to go online, but Avid already eying up extra capacity

11-Dec-2015 By Dan Stanton

A new single-use bioproduction plant will bring in annual revenues of $40m, says Avid Bioservices which is already eyeing up additional capacity to cope with contract manufacturing demand.

PE-backed CMO Synerlab buys Alcala Farma and predicts 20% rev boost

30-Nov-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

Private-equity backed contractor Synerlab has bought Spain’s Alcala Farma in a bid to expand its European reach and revenue base. 

Acquired Sigma-Aldrich businesses part of Merck's Africa growth plan

26-Nov-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

New acquisition Sigma Aldrich will play a part in African growth plans in addition to giving it a presence in the preclinical services sector says Merck*.

Roche: Small molecule exit will lead to outsourcing opportunities

16-Nov-2015 By Dan Stanton

Roche’s exit from four small molecule manufacturing plants will provide opportunities for third-party manufacturers, the firm says.

Recipharm signs $25m API contract extension with SK’s Daewoong

10-Nov-2015 By Fiona BARRY

CDMO Recipharm has signed a €25m ($26.7m) contract to supply API for Korean multinational Daewoong to make and market the respiratory drug Erdosteine.

Three Dr Reddy’s sites hit with Warning Letters in India

09-Nov-2015 By Fiona BARRY

Dr Reddy’s shares have slumped 14% after the company received an FDA Warning Letter over manufacturing conditions at three Indian sites.

AmerisourceBergen to 'set the bar' for compounding quality as it closes PharMEDium deal

09-Nov-2015 By Dan Stanton

Legislation allowing compounders to register as outsourcing facilities was a key driver in the acquisition of PharMEDium, AmerisourceBergen says as it completes the $2.6bn deal.

Acquisitions drive AMRI’s ambition to become a ‘billion dollar’ CDMO

09-Nov-2015 By Dan Stanton

AMRI attributed recent M&A activity to passing the $100m (€93m) quarterly sales milestone, reporting high double-digit growth across its API and small-scale manufacturing divisions.

Hovione to refurbish ex-generics plant for oral and inhalable formulation site

20-Oct-2015 By Dan Stanton

Hovione will spend $10m refurbishing a plant acquired from a Portuguese generics company to create an oral and inhalation formulation site.

Dispatches from CPhI

EFCG: ‘API’ days for Europe as Big Pharma returns in search of quality

15-Oct-2015 By Dan Stanton

Big Pharma has returned to Europe for its API sourcing due to reasons of quality and reliability, according to the European Fine Chemicals Group (EFCG).

DSM's Nutritional Products team in Spain to sell vitamin APIs to drugmakers

13-Oct-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

DSM may have narrowed the focus of its pharmaceutical business in recent years, but the Netherlands-based supplier is still trying to win drug industry customers at a trade show in Spain.

It's not easy being green, but biotechs should consider it according to Piramal

13-Oct-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

Pharma and biotech firms not using ‘green chemistry’ to make their products incur higher costs and risk losing market share according to Piramal.

Hovione: API outsourcing not only about cost

12-Oct-2015 By Dan Stanton

The cost of outsourcing is far more than simply the price per kilogram of an API says Hovione, which is expanding a plant in New Jersey.

Recipharm to cut jobs in Sweden to reduce costs

08-Oct-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

Recipharm will cut jobs to reduce costs after lower customer demand.

AmerisourceBergen takeover target Pharmedium pulls drugs made with Hospira saline

08-Oct-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

US compounder Pharmedium has recalled sterile drugs made with contaminated saline supplied by Pfizer's Hospira unit.

BASF new efficiency drive may involve job cuts

05-Oct-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

BASF expects to reduce its workforce though natural employee turnover rather than redundancies as part of a new €1bn cost cutting plan.

Size critical: Siegfried completes takeover of BASF's API business

05-Oct-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

Siegfried Holdings has completed the takeover of BASF CEO Kurt Brock called the firm’s “relatively successful” pharma business.

Outsourcing about cost reduction more than anything else says Deloitte

02-Oct-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

Drug companies still outsource to make fixed costs variable rather than to try and improve their public profiles through sustainable sourcing according to a Deloitte analyst.

Johnson Matthey to take on all Pharmorphix staff

Johnson Matthey buys Sigma-Aldrich solid state chem unit to boost API business

01-Oct-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

Johnson Matthey has bought Sigma-Aldrich’s Pharmorphix division to add a 'significant' customer base and expand its European API business.

‘First liquid aspirin’ maker seeks licensing deal

01-Oct-2015 By Fiona BARRY

Innovate Pharmaceuticals has launched what it claims is the world’s first shelf-stable liquid aspirin, and says it is on the look-out for a licensing partner for the “$500m” market.

Pharmas factor green considerations into sourcing decisions say experts

30-Sep-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

Drug companies still outsource to cut costs but environmental concerns and therefore contractors’ green credentials are increasingly important say industry experts. 

Evonik hikes up pharma excipient prices

28-Sep-2015 By Dan Stanton

Increasing QbD needs and a range of technical service centres have driven up the prices of Evonik’s drug delivery excipient portfolio, the company says.

China's Ausia BioTech seeks international pharma customers

23-Sep-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

Hangzhou CMO Ausia BioTech has partnered with New Mexico-based PaizaBio to market its manufacturing services to Western drugmakers interested in the Chinese sterile injectables market. 

Lonza launches extra pluripotent cell lines

21-Sep-2015 By Fiona BARRY

Lonza has expended its stem cell portfolio to offer hMSCs for translational and cell therapy research.

Lubrizol buys Particle Sciences to build in device and formulations contracting space

09-Sep-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

Berkshire Hathaway-owned Lubrizol has bought drug formulation and device contractor Particle Sciences.

AMRI boosts opiate API biz through tech transfer and supply deal with Saneca

01-Sep-2015 By Dan Stanton

AMRI has inked a deal with Slovakia’s Saneca Pharmaceuticals to bolster its opium-derived API portfolio.

Shire to use new suppliers to up production of HAE drug filtered from US plasma

28-Aug-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

Shire will use contractors to increase production of Cinryze, the half billion dollar-a-year Hereditary Angioedema (HAE) drug it bought with ViroPharma in 2014.