Canadian company Generex Biotechnology has stolen a march on its
larger rivals in the pharmaceutical industry by winning regulatory
approval for the world's first non-injectable insulin formulation,
reports Phil Taylor.
Patients suffering from conditions as diverse as asthma and
diabetes could benefit from research at Cardiff University to
improve the effectiveness of drugs taken through spray inhalers.
An electronic nebuliser that matches a product formulation, which
was specifically developed to optimise this device's performance,
marks a new advance in the customisation of drug development and
represents a new aerosol delivery...
A recently-launched project by the European Union is aiming to
demonstrate once and for all whether nanoparticles - which underpin
the emerging discipline of nanotechnology - are safe, reports
Phil Taylor.
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...
SkyePharma will shortly sign up a marketing partner for its
improved formulation of the local anaesthetic bupivacaine, a
product which the UK-based drug delivery company says is one of the
most important products in its pipeline.
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.
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.
Novartis has acquired a global license to a combination drug and
inhaler device for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in
one of the largest deals signed by the UK biotechnology sector,
reports Phil Taylor.
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.
Serono of Switzerland is planning to expand its billion dollar
multiple sclerosis franchise with a new version of interferon beta
that would do away with the need for injections, reports Phil
Taylor.
US company SurModics is evaluating a biodegradeable polymer
technology, developed at Rutgers University, that could improve the
delivery of drugs into the eye.
Ireland's largest home grown pharmaceutical company, Elan Holdings,
could be split up into two separate units, one focussing on
biotechnology and the other on manufacturing and drug delivery,
according to UK news reports.
A new formulation of the over-the-counter decongestant
pseudoephedrine developed by drug delivery company SCOLR Pharma has
successfully cleared a clinical trial, providing a validation of
the firm's technology platform, reports...
Researchers in the US have developed a drug delivery technology
that directs therapeutics directly to bone, raising the possibility
of improved treatment for osteoporosis and other diseases affecting
bone, including cancer, reports...
French pharmaceutical company Pierre Fabre is to invest €30 million
in its plant at Idron near Pau to bolster its contract
manufacturing activities for injectable drugs.
A group of US researchers claim to have identified a fundamental
mechanism that may facilitate the design of safer and more
efficacious topical drug delivery systems, reports Phil
Taylor.
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.
The emergence of nanotechnology is likely to have a significant
impact on drug delivery sector, affecting just about every route of
administration from oral to injectable, according to specialist
market research firm NanoMarkets.
US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis
have filed with the US Food and Drug Administration seeking
marketing approval for Exubera, an inhaled human insulin powder,
for the treatment of diabetes.
There is no doubt that the introduction of stents, and latterly
those that deliver pharmacological agents, has revolutionised the
treatment of coronary artery disease over the last 10 years and all
but consigned heart surgery to second-line...
BioPartners, currently leading the line amongst companies trying to
bring copies of off-patent biologic drugs to the European market,
has licensed a needle-free delivery technology for its human growth
hormone (hGH) product.
Spectrum Pharmaceuticals has licensed a new technology that could
enhance the delivery of drugs to tumours, improving the treatment
of solid cancers while also reducing side effects.
The top pharmaceutical companies are investing less money and
people in nanotechnology than other industries, despite pressure to
replace fading blockbuster drugs as fewer drugs come out of the
sector's R&D pipeline, according...
UK company Biocompatibles has teamed up with a microfluidics
specialist Q Chip to develop a system to improve the manufacture of
microspheres used in drug delivery and medical devices.
A silicon-based drug delivery system, developed by Australian
nanotechnology company pSivida, has passed an important
proof-of-concept hurdle in a clinical trial involving patients with
inoperable liver cancer.
The German government is the latest in Europe to start a programme
to support companies and academics working in the emerging field of
'bionanotechnology'.
'Give me a lever long enough and a place to stand, and I will move
the world', said the mathematician Archimedes in 230 BC. In 2005, a
new company bearing his name does not quite match his global
ambitions, but intends to...
US drugmaker Perrigo has started selling a new nicotine gum to help
smokers quit the habit in the US, challenging the dominance there
of Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline's Nicorette product.
US firm Bolder BioTechnology has been awarded a patent for a new
technology that allows therapeutic proteins to be modified
chemically to improve its activity in the body.
A unique three-way-deal between Dendritic Nanotechnologies (DNT),
The Dow Chemical Company and Starpharma Holdings, will provide DNT
and Starpharma with access to dendrimers and nanotechnology for
drug delivery.
Neich Medical has acquired Orbus Medical Technologies in which
Orbus is leading Neich's research and development efforts for drug
eluting stents and other advanced technologies.
Bayer is to collaborate with Nektar on the development of an
inhaled formulation of Cipro (ciprofloxacin) for treating the
common genetic disorder cystic fibrosis.
UK company The Medical House has entered into a deal with Swiss
biotechnology firm Serono for a needle-free injector system for the
delivery of human growth hormone.
Medical device company Boston Scientific has launched a new
cardiovascular stent designed to deliver the drug paclitaxel in 18
countries around the world, stealing a march on arch-rival Johnson
& Johnson.
A new European project on the emerging discipline of
nanobiotechnology aims to tackle the thorny issue of safety as well
as develop new materials for drug delivery and other medical uses,
reports Phil Taylor.
New treatment guidelines have concluded that there are no
significant differences between the aerosol therapy devices used
for respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD), as long as they are...
A widely used drug to treat breast cancer has been significantly
improved by the use of a new technology that binds it to albumin, a
common constituent of human blood.
TransPharma Medical has entered into collaboration with Teva
Pharmaceutical to develop transdermal drug delivery systems. The
deal aims to research and develop transdermal delivery of
therapeutic drugs such as high molecular weight...
The withdrawal of Merck & Co's COX-2 inhibitor Vioxx
(rofecoxib) because of cardiovascular safety issues - and concerns
about the safety of other drugs in the class - have left doctors
with some difficult prescribing decisions...
West Pharmaceutical Services is to sell a substantial part of its
drug delivery business to a newly formed company in return for $7.1
million (€5.3m) in cash and a 14 per cent stake in the new firm.
Irish biopharma firm Alltracel Pharmaceuticals has reinforced its
position in the dissolvable film market with a reverse takeover of
London firm Westone Products.
US drug delivery company Inyx has signed a definitive agreement to
acquire Aventis Pharmaceuticals Puerto Rico, part of the French
Sanofi-Aventis group.
Researchers at AstraZeneca in Sweden have been granted a US patent
on a new film coating for tablets that can be carried out in
water-based conditions, doing away with the need for use of organic
solvent-based systems.
Cerestar has responded to the rising demand for starch-based
excipients by extending its range of Sorbitol products, two
non-animal and non-synthetic based formulations that offers a
carrier platform for active pharmaceutical ingredients.
Flarer, a Swiss company specialising in methods of drug delivery,
has developed a new chewing gum production technology that extends
the range of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) that can be
delivered via this route.
A non-animal alternative to gelatin capsules made its European
entry as Capsugel used the CpHi show to launch the latest addition
to its range of two-piece capsules. The product claims to offer
customers better control with no slow...
Bentley Pharmaceuticals has successfully delivered insulin to type
1 diabetics using its novel intranasal formulation, throwing its
hat into the ring of companies seeking to replace insulin
injections with more patient-friendly options.
Crosslinking is a natural phenomenon occurring in gelatin that negatively impacts soft capsules, reducing their stability and prolonging their dissolution...
New classes and indications of orally inhaled therapeutics are rapidly expanding, with the development pipeline increasingly featuring both large and small...
Invivo: Many orally dosed APIs are bioavailable only when formulated as an enteric dosage form to protect them from the harsh environment of the stomach....