Researchers have taken a step forward in the development of a
system for making unlimited quantities of antibody-based drugs for
human applications in cattle.
Formulatrix and Bruker AXS have pooled their resources to speed up
the process of high-throughput protein crystallography, a key
process in the identification of protein structure and function.
Dowpharma has unveiled plans to consolidate its biopharmaceutical
custom process development activities to a single site in the US
that it says will make it easier to respond to its clients' needs.
IBM has launched a new software package designed to make it easier
for small and medium-sized pharmaceutical and biotecnology
companies to cope with the compliance requirements of the US Food
and Drug Administration.
UK-based chemistry specialist Syrris has developed a new
microreactor that, it claims, can speed up the optimisation of
process reactions used in the drug industry.
A new company has been set up in the UK to apply high-throughput
technologies to the development of new chemical materials,
including catalysts and novel drugs, for use in the pharmachem
industries.
Researchers in Finland and Belgium have developed a new way of
making plant-derived compounds in cell cultures that should cut the
cost of manufacturing a raft of pharmaceuticals, including drugs
for cancer.
A recently-introduced microstructured mixer that can provide much
tighter heat and reaction control compared to conventional systems
was showcased at the ACHEMASIA meeting last week.
UK chemicals and metals firm Johnson Matthey has opened a precious
metal process catalyst manufacturing plant in India to cater to the
growing demand from the local pharmaceutical industry and provide a
springboard into other Asian...
Avecia Pharmaceuticals has consolidated its position in the
evolving Japanese pharmaceutical market by forging a technology
agreement with a local company,reports Phil Taylor.
France's Stedim and Integrated Biosystems have been awarded two new
patents on their Celsius line of containers, currently being
launched in Europe and US, that are used in the production of
biopharmaceuticals.
Computer giant IBM claims to have identified seven key technologies
that will drive innovation in the pharmaceutical industry over the
next decade, raise the quality of development and manufacturing
processes and slash the pre-launch...
Sweden's Biotage has launched a system for carrying out microwave
synthesis reactions that for the first time is targeted at the
individual medicinal chemist.
In March 2004, manufacturers of pharmaceuticals such as
prescription painkillers and other drugs at risk of abuse were
required to start using radiofrequency identification tags on all
pallets destined for retail giant Wal-Mart, almost...
Drug companies, distributors or wholesalers sitting on a pile of
expired medicines should be able to dispose of them safely using a
new shredding system launched by Security Engineered Machinery.
Germany's Icon Genetics has published details of its proprietary
expression technology, designed to improve the production of
biopharmaceuticals and other proteins in genetically-modified
plants.
A UK-based specialist in antimicrobial coating technology, BioCote,
has entered into an agreement with Comark to develop more hygienic
handheld thermometers and data loggers. The new products are
intended for use in the pharmaceutical...
A new company spun out from the University of Durham in the UK,
called LyraChem, has developed a new catalytic technology for the
pharmaceutical and chemical sectors that should reduce the amount
of wastage and contamination that...
Germany's L B Bohle, a specialist in dispensing, granulating and
milling equipment, has introduced a new granulator for
pharmaceutical applications that allows for continuous throughput
of materials.
The impact on the French chemicals industry of implementing the
European Union's REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation
of Chemicals) proposals could be as high €800 million in testing
alone and lead to the loss of...
Developer of disposable container systems Stedim has teamed up with
a Californian firm to bring to market an alternative to
conventional media kitchens, designed to reduce the costs of
biomanufacturing.
IntelliChem, a developer of electronic laboratory notebooks (ELN)
for the drug discovery and development industry, has launched a new
ELN platform that can be used right across any pharmaceutical or
biotechnology company.
Ireland's Elan Corp has signed up another heavyweight partner -
Switzerland's Roche - for its NanoCrystals technology, designed to
improve the solubility of drug compounds.
The global market for nanocatalysts will amount to $3.7 billion in
2004 and is expected to reach $5.0 billion in 2009, according to
soon-to-be-released market research.
The Internet search engine Google has launched a pilot project with
17 universities around the world, including institutes in Italy and
the UK, aimed at improving access to research papers.
3M has launched an updated version of its Integrated Packaging Tool
software that brings it into compliance with the US Food and Drug
Administration's 21 CFR Part 11 regulations on electronic
record-keeping, used to generate...
Two Dutch researchers have developed a method for managing batch
productions - widely used in the pharmaceutical industry - which
has the potential of improving yields and reducing the number of
lost batches.
Membrane Extraction Technology has launched a new version of its
METcell - a chemically-resistant high pressure stirred cell used in
development laboratories in the pharmaceutical and chemical
industry - that can cope with more corrosive...
The US Food and Drug Administration is planning to hold a meeting
in June to re-examine its regulations on electronic records and
signatures, used to generate the audit trail in the food and drug
industries, to examine whether some...
Cobra Biomanufacturing has granted AstraZeneca the right to use its
proprietary DNA manufacturing process to make nucleic acids for use
in its drug discovery operations.
UK-based packaging company Rexam has provided further evidence of
its commitment to the pharmaceutical sector with the purchase of
Plastic Omnium Medical, a company specialising in plastic
components for medical devices.
A new technique for engineering protein crystals is helping
scientistsfigure out the three-dimensional structures of some
important biological molecules, including a key plague protein
whose structure has eluded researchers until...
Danish biotechnology company LifeCycle Pharma has won a contract
with Italy's Recordati to develop an improved formulation of
Zanidip (lercanidipine), used for the treatment of hypertension,
reports Phil Taylor.
UK filtration specialist Domnick Hunter has made a foray into the
US market with the purchase of a Californian company specialising
in filtration for the biopharmaceutical, food and beverage and
chemical industries.
Scientists have started to develop what could be a biosynthetic
route to producing compounds that serve as precursors to a range of
industrial chemicals, including pharmaceuticals.
IWKA PacSystems of the UK has introduced a new blister packing
machine that can dramatically reduce the time it takes to carry out
validation and get into production compared to rival systems.
Several companies in the biopharmaceutical technology arena are
championing the concept of disposable manufacturing as a simple,
cost-effective way of making biologic drugs. But data on the actual
cost benefits of adopting this approach...
UK-based Lonza Biologics has extended its agreement with Chromos
Molecular Systems for non-exclusive access to the Canadian firm's
ACE System, technology that speeds up the time researchers need to
isolate cell lines.
A US partnership is hoping that rights to a new gene delivery
system will help it to develop avian transgenic technology as an
efficient and cost-effective biomanufacturing platform for the
production of human therapeutic protein...
The pharmaceutical packaging market plays David to the Goliath of
the food and beverage sector, but is one of several sectors that
has the packaging industry interested, reports Phil Taylor,
who spoke with Rolf Borjesson the chief...
The first ever TOTAL Processing and Packaging Show opens its doors
this week, bringing together tens of thousands of processing and
packaging professionals across the pharmaceutical and food sectors
and providing a rare opportunity...
China's packaging industry is currently undergoing a growth rate
that is set to turn the sector into one of the country's leading
industries, report Simon Pitman and Phil Taylor.
US-based biotechnology company Human Genome Sciences is planning to
set up the first protein manufacturing facility in India in
collaboration with local companies.
Researchers in France and the US have used a technique known as
click chemistry to discover potent new inhibitors of
acetylcholinesterase, an enzyme that serves as a drug target in
Alzheimer's disease, writes Phil Taylor.
New filtration products for biopharmaceutical development and
production were unveiled at last week's Interphex 2004 exhibition
in New York by two of the main players in the sector - Pall and
Millipore.
Researchers in Austria have deciphered the first steps involved in
the attachment of sugar groups to proteins - a process known as
glycoslation - which could open the door to making a broad range of
human proteins in bacteria, writes...
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....