The rapid growth in the development and commercialisation of new
biological entities (NBEs) has been one of the major trends in the
pharmaceutical sector over the last few years, but their production
can be said to be more of an art...
Tepnel announced it had completed the acquistion of Diaclone
Research adding customisable monoclonal antibodies (mABs),
complimentary reagents and ELISA test kits to its range of life
sciences instrumentation and services.
Inpharmatica has announced a discovery collaboration with Novartis
Institutes for Biomedical Research which is to focus on identifying
protein targets for Novartis' drug discovery projects.
Cell-based assays are set to become the preferred choice of
screening, potentially overtaking more traditional approaches that
include traditional enzyme- or antibody-based assays.
A novel lead-finding, series-switching technology, which can
accelerate selection of leads for targets based on molecular fields
rather than molecular structure, has been launched.
A worldwide non-exclusive co-development and marketing agreement
has been formed between Definiens and BioImage with the aim of
delivering tailored applications to the high content screening
(HCS) market.
Charles River Laboratories of the US and France's genOway have
formed a collaboration to market genetically modified research
models to research customers in Europe.
The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) has joined forces
with a Taiwanese company Abnova, to develop a high-throughput
system for making monoclonal antibodies (MAbs).
The first ever-manufacturing agreement for a drug based on small
interfering RNA emphasises the potential of this pioneering
therapeutic approach, which could be a fertile stamping ground for
contract manufacturers.
The major laboratory supply companies in the US have a mixed bag of
results in the third quarter of 2004, with exceptional items eating
into profits as a consequence of M&A activity and
restructuring, reports Phil Taylor.
German contract development and manufacturing company Girindus has
installed a microwave system at its plant in the US, reflecting a
growing trend in the sector to use microwaves to improve reaction
yields.
More than half of pharmaceuticals outsourced at least 20 per cent
of their ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and
toxicology) studies in 2003, according to a new market research
report looking at outsourcing in...
Cambrex has made a second deal to increase its presence in the
microbiological testing, this time acquiring France's Genolife for
approximately $6 million (€4.75m) in cash.
A new biotechnology company - Peakadilly - has been set up in
Belgium to provide molecular diagnostic tools to guide the
development of new drugs. The company maintains that the tools will
make drug development more efficient, effective...
Serologicals has completed its acquisition of Upstate Group,
acquiring the privately held company for $205 million (€166m) in
cash ($102.5m) and stock.
Danish company Niro has forged closer links with US firm
International Specialty Products to develop technologies aimed at
enhancing the bioavailability of active pharmaceutical ingredients
(APIs).
US company Molecular Devices has extended the range of reagents for
its IMAP assay system with the launch of a new product intended for
use in the discovery of drugs targeting kinases.
Invitrogen, a provider of life science technologies, has entered
into new licensing agreements to supply its Gateway Technology and
clones to worldwide genomic research centres. This will allow
scientists and laboratories to share...
A new report into pharmaceutical R&D has identified an emerging
trend favouring outsourcing of discovery research, clinical trials
and formulation manufacturing, providing pressure relief from
consistent, high-growth financial...
Antibody technology company MorphoSys has formed a marketing
collaboration with Genefrontier, with a view to accessing the
Japanese life science market. This agreement will aim to establish
MorphoSys' HuCAL technology in the...
Medarex has announced a global collaboration agreement with Pfizer
that will provide for the discovery and development of up to 50
antibody products over ten years including the creation of fully
human antibody products in a variety...
Accelrys has signed a $21.5 million (€17.6 million) agreement to
merge SciTegic with one of its subsidiaries in a deal that will add
additional data analysis and mining software design capabilities to
Accelrys' extensive portfolio...
US life science company Serologicals has entered into a €167.6
million merger with cell signallin specialist Upstate, creating a
significant presence in the preclinical drug screening and target
validation market, the fastest growing...
US software systems provider, Genedata, has released the latest
version of Screener, a data analysis and management software system
for high throughput screening and compound profiling of
pharmacological properties and chemical structure,...
Lloyd's Register Serentec has formed a new practice group to
provide process analytical technology (PAT) services to
pharmaceutical manufacturing clients worldwide.
Germany's LION bioscience has made a foray into the market for
cheminformatics software with a new package designed to help
pharmaceutical companies identify, select and priortise compounds,
based on data emerging from the medicinal...
WR Grace subsidiary The Separations Group has acquired Alltech
International in a move that raises its standing in the manufacture
and supply of chromatography products even further.
Cobra Biomanufacturing has received approval from the UK regulatory
authorities for its new clinical trial manufacturing facilities in
Oxford as well as its established unit in Keele.
Technology holding company Coastal Holdings, has purchased a
significant equity interest in another biotechnology business,
adding to its portfolio of acquisitions and investments in the
biotechnology and nanotechnology fields.
A unique approach to microdosing, providing drug data ahead of
schedule and with improved accuracy, could herald a new era in drug
development in which human ADME data is involved in candidate
selection or deselection.
UK biotechnology company CellFactors has entered administration
following its failure to raise additional funds to further develop
its product Skeletex, a biological matrix derived from human cells
that induces new vascularised bone...
Drug discovery company Ablynx is to enter into a partnership with
Proctor and Gamble Pharmaceuticals. The agreement will make use of
Ablynx's Nanobody platform to develop drug candidates against a
G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR)...
Drug development company Jerini has transferred its peptide
technologies business unit to a wholly owned subsidiary which will
continue to provide and develop peptide-based services and products
for biomedical research.
Moscow, Russia-based Quantum Pharmaceuticals is offering
pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies the opportunity to test
the latest version of its molecular docking software - Quantum 2.0
- at no cost, reports Phil Taylor.
BD Biosciences has acquired Atto Bioscience in a deal worth $25
million (€20m), allowing it to enter the emerging high content cell
analysis market and enhancing its presence in the pharmaceutical
and biotechnology sectors.
In the UK, a groundbreaking partnership between government and
industry has led to the creation of a National Biomanufacturing
Centre, designed to make it easier for fledgling biotechnology
companies to get access to contract manufacturing...
Boehringer Ingelheim has been granted a US patent on a way to
disguise real and placebo tablets in a clinical trial - without
having to resort to placing them in larger capsules which may be
difficult for patients to swallow.
Qiagen has sold off its embattled nucleic acid synthesis business
in a management buyout, but has retained a minority stake and all
activities relating to RNA interference (RNAi), a potent new drug
discovery tool.
Charles River Laboratories has made a $1.5 billion (€1.2bn) bid to
acquire Inveresk Research in a deal that will create a contract
research powerhouse with nearly $1 billion in annual revenues,
writes Phil Taylor.
PamGene International is to combine its microarray platform with
Jerini Peptide Technologies' (JPT) peptide libraries to create a
series of new products for kinase studies.
Companies developing new drugs for the global market must deal with
the rising costs of the R&D process - and outsourcing may well
be the best route, according to Dr Faiz Kermani, a specialist in
outsourcing and research development.
Despite a dip in the fortunes of the biotechnology industry,
bioinformatics firm BlueGnome has achieved profit in less than
three years since its formation. The firm's fortunes are in
contrast to similar start up firms within...
A clear legal basis has been established for the first time which
will enable research institutions to use molecular biology
techniques for which provate companies have dominant patent
positions without signing away the rights to...
