Formulatrix and Bruker AXS have pooled their resources to speed up
the process of high-throughput protein crystallography, a key
process in the identification of protein structure and function.
Innercap Technologies has developed a new capsule drug delivery
system that makes it possible to combine two incompatible drug
compounds into a single dosage unit.
Agilent Technologies has launched a microfluidics-based technology
for liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS)- widely used by
scientists in protein research and pharmaceutical applications to
separate and identify biological...
An unnamed European pharmaceutical company is using time
temperature indicators (TTI) to ensure heart valves used in human
heart transplants are kept at the optimum temperature.
Dowpharma has unveiled plans to consolidate its biopharmaceutical
custom process development activities to a single site in the US
that it says will make it easier to respond to its clients' needs.
IBM has launched a new software package designed to make it easier
for small and medium-sized pharmaceutical and biotecnology
companies to cope with the compliance requirements of the US Food
and Drug Administration.
UK-based chemistry specialist Syrris has developed a new
microreactor that, it claims, can speed up the optimisation of
process reactions used in the drug industry.
German pharmaceutical and chemicals supplier Merck KGaA has set up
a new business unit to try and establish how some of the company's
pigments can be used as brand protection technologies.
UK drug delivery specialist SkyePharma received another welcome
boost yesterday with the news that its new formulation of morphine
had been approved in the US.
Banner Pharmacaps has entered into an agreement to introduce its
non-animal-derived softgel capsules in Japan for pharmaceutical and
nutritional applications.
A highly flexible automatic measuring device capable of detecting
the tiniest leaks of CO2 from protective gas atmosphere packaging
has been developed. While initially being targeted at the food
sector, its pharmaceutical applications...
A recently-introduced microstructured mixer that can provide much
tighter heat and reaction control compared to conventional systems
was showcased at the ACHEMASIA meeting last week.
UK chemicals and metals firm Johnson Matthey has opened a precious
metal process catalyst manufacturing plant in India to cater to the
growing demand from the local pharmaceutical industry and provide a
springboard into other Asian...
Switzerland's Metrohm has developed a new delivery system for
reagents used in ion chromatography that is designed to reduce
wastage, improve safety in the lab and does away with the need to
dispose of spent eluent cartridges.
France's Stedim and Integrated Biosystems have been awarded two new
patents on their Celsius line of containers, currently being
launched in Europe and US, that are used in the production of
biopharmaceuticals.
Sweden's Biotage has launched a system for carrying out microwave
synthesis reactions that for the first time is targeted at the
individual medicinal chemist.
Process chemists who want to test a number of reactions at
small-scale before ramping up to commercial production could
benefit from a new system, developed by Argonaut Technologies, that
can carry out four separate reactions in parallel.
Drug companies, distributors or wholesalers sitting on a pile of
expired medicines should be able to dispose of them safely using a
new shredding system launched by Security Engineered Machinery.
A UK-based specialist in antimicrobial coating technology, BioCote,
has entered into an agreement with Comark to develop more hygienic
handheld thermometers and data loggers. The new products are
intended for use in the pharmaceutical...
Germany's L B Bohle, a specialist in dispensing, granulating and
milling equipment, has introduced a new granulator for
pharmaceutical applications that allows for continuous throughput
of materials.
Profile Therapeutics of the UK has been granted approval from the
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Prodose, its nebuliser
system that can improve the delivery of inhaled drugs.
Scottish pharmaceutical company Strakan has started a Phase I trial
of a testosterone product that should overcome the limitations of
delivering the drug by mouth.
Developer of disposable container systems Stedim has teamed up with
a Californian firm to bring to market an alternative to
conventional media kitchens, designed to reduce the costs of
biomanufacturing.
IntelliChem, a developer of electronic laboratory notebooks (ELN)
for the drug discovery and development industry, has launched a new
ELN platform that can be used right across any pharmaceutical or
biotechnology company.
UK-based analysis specialist LGC has signed two agreements with
Poland's Institute of Industrial Organic Chemistry (IPO),
highlighting the company's strategy of establishing partnerships to
develop outside its home market.
Two Dutch researchers have developed a method for managing batch
productions - widely used in the pharmaceutical industry - which
has the potential of improving yields and reducing the number of
lost batches.
Membrane Extraction Technology has launched a new version of its
METcell - a chemically-resistant high pressure stirred cell used in
development laboratories in the pharmaceutical and chemical
industry - that can cope with more corrosive...
Cobra Biomanufacturing has granted AstraZeneca the right to use its
proprietary DNA manufacturing process to make nucleic acids for use
in its drug discovery operations.
Distek has developed a new product in its range of devices for
testing how well pharmaceutical tablets dissolve that does not need
a water bath. The benefit? A reduction in maintenance, faster
throughput and less system vibration...
A new technique for engineering protein crystals is helping
scientistsfigure out the three-dimensional structures of some
important biological molecules, including a key plague protein
whose structure has eluded researchers until...
Danish biotechnology company LifeCycle Pharma has won a contract
with Italy's Recordati to develop an improved formulation of
Zanidip (lercanidipine), used for the treatment of hypertension,
reports Phil Taylor.
UK filtration specialist Domnick Hunter has made a foray into the
US market with the purchase of a Californian company specialising
in filtration for the biopharmaceutical, food and beverage and
chemical industries.
Scientists have started to develop what could be a biosynthetic
route to producing compounds that serve as precursors to a range of
industrial chemicals, including pharmaceuticals.
Isopak, a company specialising in small-scale pharmaceutical
production equipment, will introduce a new machine next month that
overcomes one of the major obstacles to making capsules that can
deliver liquid medications.
Several companies in the biopharmaceutical technology arena are
championing the concept of disposable manufacturing as a simple,
cost-effective way of making biologic drugs. But data on the actual
cost benefits of adopting this approach...
UK-based Lonza Biologics has extended its agreement with Chromos
Molecular Systems for non-exclusive access to the Canadian firm's
ACE System, technology that speeds up the time researchers need to
isolate cell lines.
A US partnership is hoping that rights to a new gene delivery
system will help it to develop avian transgenic technology as an
efficient and cost-effective biomanufacturing platform for the
production of human therapeutic protein...
Beckman Coulter, the leading manufacturer of instrument systems and
automated laboratory processes, has launched two new laboratory
automation workstations which promise to set new standards in
accuracy and precision of assays.
Biotrove has reported promising data from a study of its Living
Chip microfluidic technology used to generate genotyping data from
human genomic samples. Their high-density array chip promises to
hike the throughout rate for this...
The opening up of the European market for thermal cyclers earlier
this month has been followed swiftly by the launch of a new product
in the category from Germany's MWG Biotech, reports Phil
Taylor.
New filtration products for biopharmaceutical development and
production were unveiled at last week's Interphex 2004 exhibition
in New York by two of the main players in the sector - Pall and
Millipore.
Researchers in Austria have deciphered the first steps involved in
the attachment of sugar groups to proteins - a process known as
glycoslation - which could open the door to making a broad range of
human proteins in bacteria, writes...
A new means of purifying air based on a simple electronic device
could mount a significant challenge to established players such as
ultraviolet light and HEPA filters, according to analysts.
As the Interphex 2004 exhibition in New York, US, comes to a close,
In-Pharmatechnologist.com takes a look at the crop of new
products rolled out in the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector.
Microfluidics has launched the first research-scale versions of its
patented High-Pressure Multiple Stream Mixer Reactor (MMR), claimed
to create uniform particles smaller than anything achieved using
current technologies.
Hosokawa Micron has developed a grinding mill for pharmaceutical
applications that ties in with the industry-wide trend towards
using flexible, multipurpose production units.
An analysis technology developed by Viscotek can slice days off the
time it takes to carry out research and quality control into drug
delivery systems based on polymers.
Pall has been granted European Union and US approval for a
purification process used in biopharmaceutical production that can
reduce the batch testing requirements of manufacturers, as well as
reducing the risk of virus contamination.