Klöckner Pentaplast says it is currently installing rigid vinyl
film production capacity at its subsidiary, Pentaplast do Brasil,
with production set to start in the New Year.
US life science chemicals company Cambrex has altered the terms of
its agreement to sell Rutherford Chemicals and will make a slightly
higher loss on the new transaction.
Sartorius North America and KMI/Parexel International have formed
an alliance that will improve the geographic reach of their
biopharmaceutical production and consultancy services.
Dutch pharmaceuticals, chemicals and coatings group Akzo Nobel has
reported a 23 per cent decline in third-quarter earnings, roughly
in line with expectations, on the back of continued pressure on its
pharmaceuticals division.
Millipore has reported a hike in third quarter sales and profits on
the back of a revival in the biotechnology industry's fortunes, but
said this may not last to the end of the year.
Escalating inflation rates and price pressures are hitting the
profit margins of positive displacement pump manufacturers and
inhibiting R&D, says new study.
The market for retractable syringes designed to prevent needlestick
injuries is set for explosive growth and could expand nearly
seven-fold by 2006, according to a new report.
Switzerland's Roche is subject to a fresh legal challenge over its
patent position in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, this
time from Applera unit Applied Biosystems.
Chugai says it is building facilities that will give it the largest
bioreactor capacity for biologicals production - at 85,000L - of
any company in the world by 2007.
Sweden's Pyrosequencing has entered into an agreement to buy
prification and separation specialist Biotage, a subsidiary of Dyax
of the USA, for $35 million.
DPS Engineering, an Irish engineering firm which specialises in
providing services to the pharmaceutical sector says it is planning
to create 250 jobs over the next five years as it continues a major
growth phase in its business in...
Process manufacturing industries are not responding to a clear need
to improve the information flow between the different parts of
their businesses leading to costly plant shutdowns, says a new
survey commissioned by BASF IT Services.
After Amersham confirmed yesterday that it had received a bid from
an unnamed suitor wishing to buy the entire company, its shares
rose more than 16 per cent; both J&J and Roche are in the
rumour mill.
Troubled chemicals group Rhodia sees its CEO depart as the company
announces another restructuring round that will see €600m in
divestments by end-2004.
Cardinal Health is to acquire 100 per cent ownership of protein
production specialist Gala Biotech for $15.5 million (€13.2m)in a
move to bolster its drug development services business.
Degussa and Shionogi set up a new joint venture company in Japan to
sell precipitated silica, silica gel and matting agents, used as
pharmaceutical additives.
Germany's Bayer has continued the revamp of its business units by
setting up its chemicals, technology services and healthcare
activities as three separate legal entities. The move follows the
carve-out of Bayer CropScience a...
Tepnel Life Sciences has trimmed its losses and boosted sales in
the year ended 30 June, helped by the sale last month of its first
robotic Nucleopure DNA purification systems.
Medisys has terminated its marketing agreement with Smiths Group
for the Futura safety syringe after last week's falling-out which
followed a further delay in the product's launch.
Swedish company Perbio Science has agreed to a $714 million (€626m)
takeover by Fisher Scientific International of the USA, which says
that it sees the acquisition as a means of capitalising on the
strong growth of the life science...
The world market for toxicogenomics technologies is set to grow
strongly over the next five years, but needs the catalyst of
recognition by regulatory authorities.
The US market for media, sera and reagents used in cell culture is
expected to nearly double in value to reach $1.7 billion (€1.48bn)
in 2008, according to a report.
Pharmaceutical major GlaxoSmithKline has set aside £1 million
(€1.4m) to soften the blow of selling its bulk active ingredient
manufacturing facility in Montrose.
Boehringer Ingelheim doubles its biopharmaceutical production
capacity at a stroke with the completion of a new plant at its site
in Biberach, Germany; a similar expansion in Austria is also
underway.
Thermo Electron has fulfilled a promise to make acquisitions in the
laboratory and life sciences area by announcing plans to acquire
French lab equipment provider Jouan SA.
A new report has suggested that an average-sized, top 20 drug
company only needs to produce two new products every three years to
maintain growth rates.
Contract research organisation (CRO) revenues have been growing
strongly as a result of drug developers' need to reduce R&D
costs while shortening product evaluation times. However, as demand
for more efficient preclinical...
The axe looks set to fall on Scottish biotechnology company PPL
Therapeutics now that the company put itself up for sale, having
failed to convince investors of a rescue plan.
Capsule technology company BioProgress has reported its first set
of interim results since becoming an AIM-listed company, as well as
a distribution deal with Hoefliger.
Profile Therapeutics has reported strong growth in sales and a
reduced operating loss for the year-ended June 30, and expects this
trend to continue as its R&D efforts in improved nebuliser
technologies come to fruition.
Chemical Synthesis Services has opened a new, £25 million (€36
million) facility in Craigavon, Northern Ireland, improving its
drug development and analysis services.
UK-based separations specialist Whatman saw its turnover drop in
the first half of 2003, but operating profits leap on back of its
restructuring effort.
Recordati is expecting to sell off its pharmaceutical chemical
operations by the end of next year or early in 2004, according to
the company's chief executive, who expects €80-€90m in proceeds for
the sale.
Millions of dollars are being spent unnecessarily each year on
treatments for high blood pressure says research published this
week in BMC Health Services Research.
Companies that supply instruments and consumables to the life
sciences industry have been hit hard by reined in research spending
resulting from the current adverse economic climate. However, one
chief executive believes there are...
Pall has reported a 10 per cent rise in sales to $471 million
(€430m) in the fourth quarter, boosted by currencies and the
recently-acquired FSG operations.
Gradipore has reported a 65 per cent increase in sales for the year
ended 30 June, but said that it was disappointed by the figures,
which did not meet its expectations.
