A marriage between US chemicals group Rockwood Specialities and
French separations specialist Novasep will create a unique company
to serve the life sciences industry, according to the two
companies.
This week's announcement of the US approval for an implantable
radiofrequency identification (RFID) chip for use in humans as a
prescription device has been met with consternation by a consumer
group, which fears the technology...
Belgium-based GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals has licensed a new
production technology for its vaccines business that should do away
with the need to use preservatives in the manufacturing process.
A Cambrex subsidiary has formed an alliance with Epoch Biosciences
to apply a technology usually applied in genomic analysis to
microbiological quality control for manufacturing processes.
The US Food and Drug Administration this week approved the first
implantable radiofrequency identification microchip for human use,
elevating RFID from a tool for supply chain management into an
enabling technology for improving healthcare...
Chiral Quest parent VioQuest Pharmaceuticals has been awarded a US
patent covering the use of novel catalysts to increase the
efficiency of chiral amine and amino acid synthesis.
Software manufacturers The Wercs has announced the launch of an
automated approval process module to streamline formal chemical
requests and approvals for manufacturers using and storing
chemicals.
GEA, a subsidiary of mg technologies, today announced that it has
acquired the business of Messo-Chemietechnik, which specialises in
crystallisation technologies for the biotechnology, pharmachem and
food industries.
Stellar Biotechnologies has been awarded $3 million (€2 million)
for the development of production methods, quality standards, and
facilities for its Keyhole Limpet Hemocyanin (KLH), a key component
of its anti-cancer vaccine.
Despite the protestations of suppliers, the cost of passive tags
used for radiofrequency identification (RFID) will not fall as low
as 5 cents per unit, and is more likely to be at the 16 cent level,
according to a recently published...
Dutch biotechnology company Crucell has initiated legal proceedings
against CEVEC Pharmaceuticals, which claims the company has
violated Crucell's PER.C6 technology's European patent.
The US Food and Drug Administration has published its long-awaiting
guidance on process analytical technology (PAT), aimed at
encouraging its use and raise the standard of manufacturing in the
pharmaceutical industry.
The US Food and Drug Administration will start using a risk-based
approach for prioritising site inspections for certain
pharmaceutical products, the agency has announced in a final report
on its current good manufacturing practice...
Scientists have reworked the mechanism of how enzymes work, forcing
the pharmaceutical industry to rethink its views on the design of
biological catalysts and new drugs.
From the 1st January 2005, industrial carbon dioxide (CO2)
emissions will come under regulation through the introduction of
the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS).
The first commercial products from chloroplast transformation
technology (CTT) looks a distinct possibility after Chlorogen
signed a joint development and supply agreement with Sigma-Aldrich
to produce four specific proteins in tobacco...
Bayer has boosted its presence in the developing microtechnology
market with the acquisition of Ehrfeld Mikrotechnik, a specialist
in the manufacture of tiny reactors for chemical processes.
France-based ProSim has introduced a comprehensive database of the
thermo-physicial properties of close to 2,000 pure compounds that
should be valuable for researchers working in process simulation.
Ireland's pharmaceutical industry saw a return to strong growth in
July, after a lengthy period in which the prevailing wisdom was
that the sector had plateaued.
IBM has announced a $250 million (€203m) investment programme in
radiofrequency identification (RFID) and will boost the number of
employees working in this area by 1,000.
The US subsidiary of Germany's Dr Hielscher has introduced a new
ultrasound device for the formation of aerosols that could have a
role in sample processing and quality control.
Labelling giant Avery Dennison has formed a new business unit to
manufacture and sell low-cost radiofrequency identification (RFID)
inlays and tags, putting its weight behind a technology that to
date has mostly been pushed forward...
In contrast to conventional wisdom, stirring a mix of granular
ingredients faster or longer in the manufacturing of
pharmaceuticals is not the key to getting a smooth blend.
Researchers at Staffordshire University in the UK have come up with
a new robotic arm that is fully mobile, has accuracy that rivals
industrial fixed robot arms and could cost significantly less.
Freeman Technology is gearing up to launch the first in a new range
of accessories for its FT4 powder rheometer that are designed to
bring it into the age of industrial automation.
Hoerbiger-Origa of Germany, which specialises in automation systems
of industrial applications, has launched a new modular belt-driven
linear actuator for heavy-duty applications that will compete with
rack and pinion drives.
Japan's Showa Denko says it has developed a new catalyst for
synthesising alpha-tetralone, an important intermediate in the
production of pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals, which could reduce
wastage.
Researchers in the UK and US have made a breakthrough by using
supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) as a reaction medium for the
preparation of molecules of interest to the pharmaceutical
industry. The result could be cleaner, greener...
Analytical instruments company Thermo Electron has completed the
acquisition of InnaPhase, a supplier of Laboratory Information
Management Systems (LIMS) for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology
markets, for approximately $65 million...
A newly-organised conference on building sustainability into
processing industries - focusing on improving environmental
performance without raising costs - will take place next year in
Delft, the Netherlands.
Proliant Biologicals has launched a new cell culture medium that
can be used for the production of monoclonal antibodies and other
proteins but is claimed to be more economical than a rival product.
Separation and filtration specialist Millipore has launched an
automated system for the rapid detection, response and resolution
of microbial contamination in manufacturing processes.
Nestec of Switzerland, a subsidiary of food giant Nestle, has been
awarded a US patent on a new way of producing the whey protein
glycomacropeptide (GMP) that could open up its use as an ingredient
in pharmaceuticals, dental compositions...
ELGA Process Water has announced a new addition to its ORION range
of packaged water purification systems for pharmaceutical and
cosmetics manufacturing, healthcare and biotechnology
Purification and filtration systems manufacturer Pall has reported
flat fiscal fourth-quarter earnings that missed analysts'
expectations, although group sales grew by 7 per cent to $504.5
million (€418m).
Scientists behind a three-year EU-funded project to create a remote
monitoring system for production machinery claims that the
technology is ready to be put into practice.
BiODE has launched a new viscometer that can carry out
instantaneous sample and/or continuous in-process viscosity
measurements - all in real time - for process control in the
pharmaceutical and other industries.
LINPAC Materials Handling has introduced a reusable container -
designed for pharmaceuticals and food and beverages - that could
allow companies to significantly reduce their shipping costs,
claims the company.
A new unit operating at Clariant Pharmaceuticals in Germany will
boost the company's activities in the emerging field of
microreactor technology for the production of pharmaceutical
intermediates and active pharmaceutical ingredients...
In its first set of financial results after failing to find a buyer
for its pharmaceutical division, Danish packaging firm Superfos has
reported a healthy increase in earnings helped by the resolution of
delivery problems that plagued...
The taxane class of cancer drugs has established itself as a
mainstay in the treatment of a range of solid tumours, but to date
there are still only two of these compounds on the market.
Swedish packaging technology company Cypak has raised SEK30 million
(€3.3m) in its fourth major round of funding, and says it will use
the proceeds to accelerate its product development efforts.
Catalyst company Chiral Quest has launched a new product,
C3-TunePhos, designed for use in the synthesis of a range of drugs,
including the cholesterol-lowering statin class.
Fine chemicals maker Bachem has reported higher sales in the first
half of the year, but profits were slightly weaker as unfavourable
exchange rates took their toll.
Mettler Toledo, the world's largest manufacturer of weighing
instruments, has reported a healthy 8 per cent hike in sales for
the first half of 2004, helped by favourable currency factors.
In the wake of the divestment of its Dynamit Nobel chemicals
businesses, mg technologies of Germany has reported a modest
increase in sales for the first half of the year, helped by a good
performance from its GEA subsidiary.
Calling the next six months 'a critical period', the US Food and
Drug Administration's Acting Commissioner Lester Crawford has
unveiled a lengthy list of agency priorities, including continued
work on Good Manufacturing...
Sensitech of the US has made another foray into the European market
for cold chain monitoring technologies with the acquisition of
Netherlands-based Temperature Data Systems.
Two UK packaging machinery engineers, Autowrappers and Europack,
have been bought by Bradman Lake to create a packaging company that
can supply a full range of machinery and compete with the big
players in the pharmaceutical and food...
Various options exist for freezing biopharmaceutical bulk material, but selecting the most effective and efficient approach for each cold chain can be...
Indena offers custom development by leveraging the expertise of a specialized team devoted to designing and developing processes and analytical methods....