Packaging giant Alcan has reached an agreement to purchase
Interglass, a privately owned company that makes glass vials and
ampoules, in a move that expands Alcan Packaging's position in the
North American pharmaceutical packaging...
A study showing that drugs distributed in blister packages rather
than in bottles increase the likelihood that medications will be
taken properly, could help encourage the take-up of unit-dose
packaging in the US market, reports Phil...
US nanotechnology company NanoInk has said it wants to forge
partnerships with packaging companies to develop a layered brand
protection solution for pharmaceutical customers.
Japanese packaging machinery firm Shibuya Kogyo is close to
finalising its acquisition of Hoppmann, a move that will expand the
firm's presence within the lucrative US market.
According to a new report by the National Academies, the advent of
increased global competition for outstanding students and
scientists has heightened the need for a widespread effort to
attract high calibre researchers to the US.
Canada's ATS Automation Tooling Systems has launched a
fully-automated inspection system for plastic containers used as
primary packaging for aseptically filled pharmaceutical products.
A pilot programme looking at how radiofrequency identification
(RFID) can be used in pharmacies to pick up counterfeit medicines
is to be developed into a commercial product, reports Phil
Taylor.
Canada's Alcan is opening a new production centre dedicated to
pharmaceutical packaging at its Alzira plant, located near Valencia
in Spain. The centre will specialise in printing flexible packaging
materials, reports Phil Taylor.
VIRxSYS has announced the completion of the phase I study of its
novel HIV gene therapy, which has been touted as the first of a
next-generation anti-HIV treatment involving gene therapy. The
positive results mean a phase II study...
Amcor Flexibles Healthcare has enlisted the aid of Montesino
Associates to market a blister pack simulation technology to the
global pharmaceutical industry.
Gerresheimer launched a crop of new pharmaceutical components at
the Interpack show last week, including a new system for the dosing
of water-soluble dry medications and new devices to improve the
safety and ease of use of its syringe...
France's Valois has developed a new type of dose dispensing pump
which allows intranasal formulations of drugs to be created that do
not require the use of preservatives, reports Phil Taylor.
According to a new report diabetic nephropathy represents a
multi-billion-dollar market that is poorly served by existing
drugs. All this is set to change as Palosuran, currently in
clinical development, could become the first drug...
France's Valois will launch a new-generation dispensing pump that
should improve the accuracy of drug dosing into the nasal passages
at the Interpack show later this week, reports Phil Taylor.
A tuberculosis drug candidate, which has been described as the most
promising Tuberculosis (TB) drug in 40 years, may lead to a shorter
and more effective treatment.
Ticona has enhanced its Topas COC (cyclic olefin copolymer) to give
blown film producers greater processing flexibility and the ability
to make highly transparent films that are practically free of gels.
Pharmaceuticals delivered out of a tube such as creams and
ointments are widely used, but suffer from a key drawback: it is
almost impossible to deliver an accurate dose.
Witt Gas Technologies has launched a new version of its Leak-Master
packaging integrity tester in the UK that could pay for itself in
terms of cost savings in as little as two months, claims the
company.
Injectable drug delivery specialist West Pharmaceutical Services
has develop a system of anticounterfeiting measures for its
Flip-Off seals, widely used for injectable drugs that are withdrawn
from vials by a syringe.
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry has praised
the latest report, acknowledging the importance of the UK
pharmaceutical industry in "improving people's quality of life,
reducing the need for surgical...
UK firm Denny Bros has introduced a new booklet-style label to the
pharma sector that incorporates a secondary, 'pealable' label that
can be used for administration or other functions.
SupplyScape, a US company specialising in developing track and
trace technologies for the pharmaceutical industry, has raised $7m
in a private financing, writes Phil Taylor.
Morphotek has announced the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has
accepted its New Drug Application for a humanised monoclonal
antibody, intended for the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer.
Japan's Toppan Printing has developed a radio frequency
identification (RFID) tag that can be embedded within glass
containers such as test tubes, vials or medicine bottles.
The decreasing number of truly original drugs approved by the Food
and Drug Administration is becoming such a serious issue that the
pharmaceutical market's tag as the 'innovator industry' is being
called into question,...
Researchers in the US have discovered a novel method of improving
the solubility of carbon nanotubes, which could lead to new types
of packaging with improved functionality.
NJM/CLI has launched a system that simultaneously applies and
verifies radiofrequency identification tags on bottles and other
item level containers using a primary labeller, writes Phil
Taylor.
The results of a UK pilot study of radiofrequency identification
(RFID) and bar coding in pharmacies has shown clear evidence that
the system can improve patient safety, reports Phil Taylor.
Commercial League, the largest and fastest-growing pharmaceutical
group in the Balkans, has opened a new primary and secondary
packaging plant in Bulgaria to serve the domestic and, potentially,
export markets.
French company Valois has developed a new dose counter that should
improve the safety of inhalers used to delivery drugs to asthmatics
and people with chronic bronchitis.
Schneider Electric has teamed up with automated handling company
PES Technology to develop a bespoke packaging line for a hazardous
and time-critical pharmaceuticals process.
Owens-Illinois has received an Ease-of-Use Commendation from the
Arthritis Foundation in the US for its 1-Clic Packaging System,
first introduced in 2002.
Pharmacogenomics will alter the balance of power in the way drugs
are developed, tested, marketed and prescribed during the next
decade, and the blockbuster business model of big pharmaceutical
companies will eventually give way...
Having opted to hang onto its pharmaceutical packaging business
instead of selling it off, Denmark's Superfos has now expanded the
production capacity of the unit 'to extend its position as one of
the leading suppliers in...
Nanotechnology for molecular targeting and drug delivery is set to
become a trillion-dollar industry, fuelled by the pharmaceutical
industry, which faces increasingly challenging market conditions.
This has lead to an intensified...
New statistics released today show that total US investments in
R&D made by the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry
topped $38.8 billion (€29.3 billion) during 2004. This beats the
$34.5 billion total set in 2003 and demonstrates...
A consortium of companies producing biodegradable and compostable
polymers for packaging has committed itself to guaranteeing an
efficient biodegradeability standard across the EU.
Worldwide demand for packaging equipment for the pharmaceutical and
personal care products sector is forecast to post the strongest
gains of any market through 2008, reaching $4.4 billion in that
year.
Unisys has signed an agreement with Boston, US-based GenuOne to
provide product tracking and authentication software to the
healthcare and life sciences industries.
A pilot project aimed at combating pharmaceutical fraud using a
combination of radiofrequency identification (RFID) tagging and bar
coding, set up by UK firm Aegate last November, has come to a close
and the results should be made...
West Pharmaceutical Services, fresh from the disposal of its drug
delivery business, is to acquire Monarch Analytical Laboratories in
exchange for cash, assumed liabilities and shares totalling $5.6
million (€4.3m).
UK laser marking specialist Sherwood Technology now has two
pharmaceutical companies evaluating its DataLase technology, an
additive that can be used to mark tablets.
The first documented case of drug resistant HIV has prompted calls
to step up HIV drug research after the victim developed full-blown
AIDS in just three months.
Thomson Scientific & Healthcare has launched a new service to
allow pharmaceutical companies to quickly create and modify drug
labels that comply with new US Food and Drug Administration
guidance due to come into play this year.
High rates of antibiotic resistance in South and East Europe are
higher than in northern Europe because the regions have high rates
of antibiotic use, according to a study published in this week's
issue of The Lancet.