Recip AB has signed a deal that will see it implement cGxP software
aimed at providing a productivity boost and helping it become 'a
leader in European packaging and finishing'.
US firm Medrad has installed an automated assembly line that has
increased production capacity of its sterile disposables operation
by more than 60 per cent.
BioProgress has completed the design and build of the first pilot
scale version of its XGEL NROBE powdered drug coating technology
and is set to deliver the machine to Farmasierra in Madrid, Spain.
Merck & Co is conducting a pilot evaluation of Aegis's
Discoverant software in two of its manufacturing plants to assess
its impact on process performance and productivity.
Waters has launched a new MALDI-TOF (time of flight) mass
spectrometer, along with a line of porous silicon-coated target
plates and new reference standards,
World Pharmaceuticals SA has been awarded a US patent for a
dropping bottle for pharmaceutical liquids that overcomes the
limitations of current designs.
Innothera is awarded a US patent for a formulation of elemental
iron that could do away with the need for coatings to disguise the
mineral's disagreeable taste.
Bruker Daltonics has launched a compact, high-performance MALDI
-TOF/TOF mass spectrometer that has an affordable price tag,
requires less laboratory space than rival systems and is geared up
for use in proteomics applications.
Delivery of millions of doses of Acambis' smallpox vaccine to the
US government has been delayed because of a disagreement over the
best glue to use for the vial labels.
IBM has introduced its new InsightLink software, an application to
help pharma companies create searchable online databases that will
enable more sharing of research knowledge.
Abbott Laboratories and artus have gained European approval for
their RealArt HPA Coronavirus LC RT Reagents, a diagnostic test for
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
BioProgress of the UK, which specialises in delivery mechanisms for
the pharmaceutical oral dosage markets, has sold the first two
machines in its line of systems for tablet coating based on its
proprietary coloured cellulose film.
Sigma-Aldrich has negotiated an exclusive contract to distribute a
range of catalysts that are used in pharmaceutical discovery and
fine chemical production.
Oden has introduced its Mass/Blend Continuous Stream Digital
Blending System, designed to eliminate problems associated with
large-batch liquid preparation.
Swiss pharmaceuticals giant Novartis is planning to shut its only
manufacturing facility in India, at Mahad in Maharashtra, because
of increasing competition.
The UK's Genetix, which makes gene and protein research equipment,
said it had received orders from leading pharmaceutical groups for
two of its new products.
BASF has completed a production plant for high-purity
methanesulfonic acid, widely used in the chemical industry and in
the synthesis of pharmaceuticals.
Isopak of the UK has introduced a single punch benchtop tablet
press machine that is designed to answer the needs of small
laboratories, pharmacies and hospitals.
Alfa Laval and Millipore are to work together to supply tools for
the recovery of biopharmaceutical proteins generated by cell
culture and fermentation.
Vencor has launched a range of chemical taggants that can be used
to provide secure identification of products, including drugs and
speciality chemicals.
Neo Pharma becomes the first company to start manufacturing
pharmaceuticals in Abu Dhabi. The company's facility offers both
production and R&D capabilities.
Procter & Gamble has patented a new formulation of risedronate
that overcomes the upper gastrointestinal side effects that can
occur with the osteoporosis drug.
UK software company Intelligensys has launched a new product that
promises a step forward in the application of artificial
intelligence technologies to pharmaceutical formulation and design.
A new range of cell culture vessels developed by Switzerland's
Integra Biosciences promises to increase production yields in
laboratories making monoclonal antibodies and recombinant proteins.
Roche has licensed exclusive marketing rights outside the USA to
Avastin (bevacizumab), a drug for colorectal cancer, from
Genentech. The latter company will retain all rights to the drug in
its home market.
Schering has been granted approval throughout the European Union
for Angeliq (oestradiol and drospirenone), its new low-dose hormone
replacement therapy.
Australia's Biotechnology Frontiers is awarded a A$780,000 grant to
develop a microbiological quality control tool that can be used in
the pharma and food industries.
Akzo Nobel received a knock-back from the US Food and Drug
Administration after the agency asked for more information before
approving a ready-to-use version of the firm's fertility drug
Follistim.
Argonaut Technologies has introduced a new resin-bound reagent,
MP-TsO-TEMPO that enables medicinal chemists to introduce diversity
into chemical libraries with high purity and yields.
A new formulation of GlaxoSmithKline's Parkinson's disease drug
Requip (ropinirole), developed with UK drug delivery specialist
SkyePharma, has entered Phase III testing.
Italian drug delivery specialist Eurand has made a foray into the
market for fast-melt oral tablets that dissolve quickly in the
mouth without chewing or the need for water.
