Clinical trials in the developing world meet the same standards as those in Europe and the US and are vital for accelerating drug development says the Association of Clinical Research Organisations (ACRO).
Australian group Amcor has confirmed that talks about a takeover of Alcan’s pharmaceutical packaging business are still ongoing but says that no binding agreement has yet been reached.
Rumours suggest that US drug giant Pfizer is considering a bid for Turkish generics group Abdi Ibrahim as part of its strategy of expanding in emerging markets.
French biopharmaceutical group LFB has contracted Lonza’s biopharmaceuticals division to make trial supplies of its candidated monoclonal anti-RhD antibody.
US software company Velos hopes its new “software as a service” (SaaS) internet offering will attract CROs and Pharma firms seeking low-cost trial management solutions.
The Oxford, UK, biomarker laboratory facilities of India’s Veeda CR have been taken over by Icon Development Solutions, in a deal which both consolidates existing customer relationships for the buyer and opens up new product areas to focus on.
US CRO PPD has laid off around 80 people at its HQ in Wilmington, North Carolina and may cut another 200 jobs from its North American workforce, according to local media reports.
US contract research organisation (CRO) QPS has been called in by the Taiwanese Development Center for Biotechnology (DCB) to provide support services for biotech firms operating in the region.
US biotechnology group OSI Pharmaceuticals will move HQ to a facility in Greenburgh, New York due, according to observers, to the high cost of land at its current base in Long Island.
The number of CROs operating in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is set to rise, according to an expert on the region, as companies are attracted by the cost effectiveness and presence of big pharma.
India and China share many similarities as outsourcing locations but there are also significant differences that are important to understand before making a commitment, according to a report.
BASF and Sinopec are to invest $1.4bn (€1bn) in expanding their Chinese specialty chemical joint venture, adding 10 plants and increasing capacity at three existing sites.
Northern Irish pack testing specialist Sepha has moved forward with plans to enter the Japanese market, showcasing its BlisterScan platform at Interphex Japan in Tokyo last week.
The USP is revising monographs of four pharmaceutical excipients in light of hazards associated with diethylene glycol contamination and is seeking comments from interested parties.
US CRO Charles River (CRL) has unveiled a raft of executive changes and plans to restructure its PCS unit to provide customers with a more centralised approach to global drug development.
The Spanish Ministry of Health is leading a €60m ($84.9m) programme that will build the country’s first vaccine production facility and use Novavax’s recombinant virus-like-particle (VLP) technology.
US raw materials supplier Originates has boosted its pharmaceutical bovine hide gelatin manufacturing capacity with the addition of two new ISO 9000/9001 certified, GMP-standard production facilities in South America.
Rising demand in China has led to Toray Fine Chemicals (TFC) establishing a joint venture to produce dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), a reaction solvent in pharma production.
Synteract will open an office in Prague in the Czech Republic, joining the growing number of CROs to offer sponsors access to treatment naive populations in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).
The growth of the Chinese vaccine market is set to outstrip the country’s pharma sector, according to a Frost & Sullivan (F&S) report that predicts 14-15 per cent CAGR.
The number of pharma employees in New Jersey, US fell by 1,400 in 2008, with R&D expenditure, capital investment and product trials also declining, according to a report.
UK CRO Quintiles Transnational has set up an office in Accra, Ghana in a move it claims allows it to recruit trial participants from sub-Saharan Africa’s estimated 760m residents.
Large pharma companies will increase the level of supply chain activities they outsource in the next few years but smaller businesses are predicted to keep them in-house, according to a report.
US group DZS Software Solutions says its new web ClinPlus CTMS technology will help sponsors and CROs ensure that trial procedures are being followed and eliminate redundant study management systems.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is looking to establish itself as a prime location for pharmaceutical companies, with “massive amounts of money and huge incentives” being used to attract business.
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) believes that an effective FOB approval pathway and laws preventing “pay-for-delay” deals are the only ways of reducing the cost of biologic drugs.
Demand for biopharmaceutical contract manufacturing will grow 16 per cent a year over the next five years, according to analysis by US market research group HighTech Business Decisions.
UK drug major GSK has had a busy week in the Asia, signing an influenza vaccine manufacturing deal with China’s Shenzhen Neptunus Interlong Bio-Technique just days after it opened a new S$600m (EUR294m) production facility in Singapore.
Commonwealth Biotechnologies (CBI) is set to acquire China-based peptide manufacturer GL Biochem, which it believes will create a dominant force in the non-GMP segment of the market.
Swedish CRO Syntagon has set up an office in Shanghai, China to forge stronger links with a broader range of local raw materials suppliers, saving its customers time and money.
CMO Kemwell is receiving technical assistance from Boehringer Ingelheim for the construction of its new biotech facility, which is designed to marry European technology with Indian low cost manufacturing.
MDS Pharma Services is renovating and expanding its Taiwanese discovery pharmacology operation in response to growing global demand for work performed in Asia.
JAPM and SABEQ have launched initiatives to help companies in Jordan bring their pharma packaging and manufacturing practices inline with established markets.
GE Healthcare hopes its new modular validation platform (MVP) will change the way drugmakers think about how they create new plants and bring existing manufacturing facilities up to code.
SAFC is seeking to improve its large-scale supply of pharma raw materials through a partnership with Cherokee Pharmaceuticals, which will use its expertise to ensure the products meet cGMP standards.
German glass making giant Gerresheimer has opened a new packaging plant in Danyang, China, further indicating its plans to grow in the world’s fifth largest pharmaceutical market.
PRA International has opened a drug safety centre in São Paulo, Brazil, expanding its presence in Latin America and bringing its array of services to a new market.
Power outages cost India $9.2bn (€6.5bn) in 2008, according to a report, with the disruptions causing direct losses in numerous sectors, including pharma and biotech.
US Patient recruitment specialist BBK Worldwide has set up a unit in Osaka, Japan to improve enrolment rates for studies in the country and help local pharma and biotech firms cut costs.
Stiffer penalties for counterfeiters could be counterproductive in less developed countries (LDC) and “entrench the corrupt symbiotic relationship between counterfeiters, lawmakers and officials”, according to a report
Singapore’s prudent spending means it can view the economic crisis as an opportunity, according to an executive director of its EDB, using saved funds to progress beyond its struggling rivals.
in-Pharmatechnologist's Nick Taylor looks back on BIO 2009, an event at which uncertainty about the development of the biotechnology industry’s future shape dominated proceedings.
HEM Pierre Vimont, Ambassador of France to the US, was at BIO 2009 talking about the measures his nation have taken to attract biotechs, including the introduction of the "most favourable R&D tax in Europe".
