Cardinal Health has entered into a $400 million deal to acquire
Intercare Group of the UK that would provide it with a
significantly-expanded presence in the European market.
German instrument, consumable and reagent company Eppendorf has
introduced a new range of low-density DNA microarrays for
differential gene expression analyses.
The healthcare division of UK-based speciality chemicals maker
Croda Chemicals Europe used the CPhI exhibition in Frankfurt this
week as a platform to launch two new excipients for drug delivery.
Danish biotech company T-cellic has just completed its second round
of financing, raising DK 40 million (€5.4m) in a deal that will set
the company up to take its T cell-based technologies, used for both
the localisation and treatment...
San-Diego based FeRx has received a slice of funding to support
research to evaluate the use of its MagneTarg drug delivery system
in the site-specific localisation of gemcitabine, a
chemotherapeutic agent already approved for the...
Nordic pharmaceutical company Pharmaco forges further into Northern
Europe unveiling new sales activities in Sweden to cut into the
growing generic pharmaceutical market there.
Misssouri-based medical genomics company GenoMed will link up with
Malaysian company PhenoMed, encouraged by the Malaysian government
currently keen to push biotechnology advances in the country.
Solutia has launched an offensive on the outsourced peptide
synthesis market with the formation of a new business group in
Switzerland focusing on the sector.
The market for protein and DNA purification kits is maturing, and
the pace of technological innovation has slowed, leaving dozens of
companies jostling for market share.
An Australian company claims to have successfully achieved the
simultaneous disabling of multiple genes through its RNA
interference (RNAi) technology.
Tecan's third-quarter results reveal a mixed picture across the
group, with proteomics/genomics put in a good good performance but
drug discovery sales fell by a quarter.
Schott Nexterion, a supplier of DNA microarrays and the youngest
subsidiary of the Schott Group, has taken over the microarrays
business division of Quantifoil Micro Tools.
October has seen a rush by US biotechnology companies to list on
the stock markets, bringing to an end an Initial Public Offering
(IPO) drought lasting more than 18 months. Is Europe destined to
follow?
Biotechnology company Biovitrum has established a new business
unit, Biovitrum Biopharmaceuticals, to strengthen its position as a
supplier of process development and contract manufacture of
recombinant proteins. The move follows...
Switzerland's Integra Biosciences extends its CELLine range of
disposable bioreactor vessels with a new version intended for use
with adherent cell lines.
PerkinElmer sees the benefit of a cost-cutting effort in its
third-quarter results as net income rises 45 per cent, but
biopharma puts in a lacklustre performance.
BioProgress has started legal proceedings against Stanelco Fibre
Optics claiming ownership of several patents related to processes
used in gelatine-free encapsulation. Stanelco recently unveiled its
own ambitions in this area after...
The first grants have been awarded in the ENCODE program,an
extension of the Human Genome Project which is hoping to develop an
encyclopedia of function for all the sequences in the human genetic
map. A $35m pilot project aimed at...
Guava technologies has developed a new assay system for counting
and viability testing of non-mammalian cells, including insect
cells used in vaccine research.
GSK has opened a new high-throughput chemistry facility at its
Harlow research centre in Essex, UK, that it hopes will allow it to
cut down its drug development time by around two years. This and
other automation projects at the company...
An escalation in drug discovery activities in the Asia Pacific
region is likely to cause significant growth there for technologies
used in high-throughput screening, according to a new report.
Galapagos Genomics has published details of its RNAi-based gene
silencing technology, based on adenovirus vectors, that is
effective in a range of cell types.
Meridica has licensed its newly-designed Xcelovair dry powder
inhaler (DPI) to Pfizer in what amounts to something of a coup for
the small UK start-up.
French researchers have used a molecular scale imaging tool to
track for the first time the movements of individual receptors
within the membranes of cells over several minutes.
Medarex of the USA, a specialist in producing fully-human
antibodies, has entered into two new agreements aimed at improving
the properties of its drug candidates.
Researchers have established the cause of the leukaemia which
developed in two young patients taking part in a pioneering gene
therapy trial to treat the fatal 'baby-in-a-bubble' syndrome.
Ambion has developed technique that allows easier monitoring of
short RNA sequences in a variety of sample types and is 100-500
more sensitive than Northern blot analysis.
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.
An alliance between two German companies - 4SC and SWITCH Biotech -
has been set up to focus on the discovery of small-molecule
compounds for the treatment of psoriasis.
Researchers have discovered the first gene that may play a direct
role in longevity by protecting against some of the most important
diseases of ageing, such as heart disease, diabetes and stroke.
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.
The UK High Court has issued injunctions against a number of
individuals found to be involved in the harassment of staff working
for UK-based Japanese pharmaceutical companies.
Speedel reports progress in the development of potent,
orally-active renin inhibitors, a class which have yet to be
commercialised despite two decades of research.
Two UK companies have launched new products to seal the tops of
plates used in laboratories and prevent evaporation and
contamination of their contents.
Escalating inflation rates and price pressures are hitting the
profit margins of positive displacement pump manufacturers and
inhibiting R&D, says new study.
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.
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.
Evotec OAI and Biofrontera Pharmaceuticals have entered into a
co-marketing and distribution agreement to offer natural compound
libraries for drug discovery.
Ipsat Therapies has completed a Phase I trial of a novel approach
to preventing bacterial resistance by de-activating antibiotics in
the gastrointestinal tract.
Research conducted at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory has
suggested that microRNA (miRNA) - small nucleic acid sequences of
20-24 nucleotides that do not code for proteins - in fact play a
key role in gene expression.
Juvantia Pharma identifies small-molecule inhibitors of two forms
of the somatostatin receptor - subtypes 1 and 4 - with potential in
a wide range of disease indications.
