Supply chain, logistics

Indian CMO latest acquisition in Recipharm's aggressive growth push

20-Oct-2015 By Dan Stanton

An agreement to buy Indian CMO Nitin boosts Recipharm’s presence in emerging markets and plays into its aggressive growth strategy, the firm says.

CPhI Worldwide Madrid

Aesica: 'Consolidate your CDMOs into one, easy to manage CDMO!'

19-Oct-2015 By Dan Stanton

Pharma is looking to condense the number of contract manufacturers it works with, says Aesica which has launched a service to help manage its customers’ supply chain.

GSK keeps focus on core offerings with Romanian distribution divestiture

16-Oct-2015 By Dan Stanton

GSK has inked a deal to offload its Romanian subsidiary Europharma Distribution, saying distribution is not one of the Big Pharma’s core offerings.

Vetter pledges €300m to prep network for pharma's future needs

01-Oct-2015 By Dan Stanton

Pharma M&A, complex APIs and an increasing need for flexibility are driving a €300m manufacturing network overhaul, says Vetter.

Yusen opens GDP logistics facility at Amsterdam airport

25-Sep-2015 By Dan Stanton

Yusen Logistics has opened a 1,200m2 facility at Amsterdam airport to service its pharma customers GDP needs.

Mayne starts work on contracting plant and relocates distribution ops

25-Sep-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

Mayne Pharma has started adding contract manufacturing capacity at its site in North Carolina in an project that will also see it consolidate US distribution operations.

McKesson to buy UDG core biz for $467m

18-Sep-2015 By Fiona BARRY

UDG Healthcare is selling its United Drug Supply Chain Services to distribution giant McKesson for €407.5m ($466.5m).

Patient-centric model driving pharma service sector interest in DTP trial drug delivery

18-Sep-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

More evidence of sponsor demand for direct-to-patient (DTP) services with Marken announcing an expansion of its deal with GlobalCare Clinical Trials just a week after rival Almac launched its to-the-door study drug delivery offering in Europe.

Clinigen and Cumberland collaborate in mutual market access deal

17-Sep-2015 By Dan Stanton

UK-based Clinigen and US-based Cumberland Pharmaceuticals have struck a deal to market each others products outside their respective countries.

Illegal online pharmacies a source of fake drugs says Estonian regulators

16-Sep-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

Illegal internet pharmacies and a desire for cheaper meds mean fake drugs are a problem even in smaller pharmaceutical markets say Estonian regulators.

Almac rolls out direct-to-patient service in Europe

07-Sep-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

Almac has launched its trial drug home delivery service in Europe citing demand it has seen since rolling out the service in North America.

Mid-sized M&A madness: Smaller deals dominate CRO space so far in 2015

27-Aug-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

Chiltern’s takeover of Theorem Clinical will be the latest acquisition in a busy eight months of deals impacting the mid-sized CRO space.

Improper goat euthanasia lands antibody supplier with USDA complaint

26-Aug-2015 By Dan Stanton

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has filed a complaint against antibody supplier Santa Cruz Biotechnology for its allegedly poor treatment of animals.

Hemispherx signs US distribution deals as it preps to relaunch wart drug in US

19-Aug-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

Hemispherx Biopharma has signed extended US distribution agreements as part of efforts to relaunch Alferon N Injection, a genital wart treatment it pulled in 2008 after production costs soared.

Charles River plans cautious approach to re-opening of Shrewsbury preclinical site

14-Aug-2015 By Zachary Brennan

After months of speculation, Charles River Laboratories has decided to move forward with the re-opening of its early-stage research site in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts sometime in the first quarter of 2016.

BioClinica looks to tap CROs, sponsors hesitant to adopt cloud tech

12-Aug-2015 By Zachary Brennan

BioClinica is looking to target its new offering to the CROs and sponsors who have yet to adopt a cloud-based solution for the management and delivery of clinical trials.

WuXi finds success in pilot testing of edible microtags

11-Aug-2015 By Zachary Brennan

Service provider and contract manufacturer WuXi PharmaTech is vouching for TruTag Technologies’ edible microtags following a pilot project adding to evidence that they can help root out counterfeits.

Drugs stolen while trucker changed his clothes recovered thanks to hidden GPS

30-Jul-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

A shipment of drugs stolen while a truck driver went home to change his clothes were recovered in half an hour thanks to a GPS tracking device embedded in the cargo.

First part of European fake fighting database linked to securPharm

23-Jul-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

The first part of a Europe-wide database intended to help identify fake drugs is operational after being linked to Germany’s securPharm system.

West scaling up AZ plant on demand for Smartdose wearable injector

21-Jul-2015 By Dan Stanton

Demand for West’s wearable injector - which uses the recently-approved Crystal Zenith delivery system - has led to the expansion of a facility in Arizona.

Thermo Fisher partners with CDC to aid public health labs

21-Jul-2015 By Zachary Brennan

Thermo Fisher Scientific has developed new software via a partnership with the Special Bacteriology Reference Laboratory at the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) that helps public health labs to more quickly identify microbial pathogens...

Planes, drones but no automobiles: NASA pilots pilotless plane for drug delivery

20-Jul-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

NASA has used a remote control plane and a fleet of drones to deliver drugs in an approach that could help pharma firms get medicines to patients in hard to reach locations.

Proteon extends vonapanitase manufacturing deal with Lonza

16-Jul-2015 By Dan Stanton

Proteon Therapeutics has extended a deal with Lonza for the development and manufacture of its lead product, the pancreatic elastase candidate vonapanitase.

Risk/profit-sharing in clinical trials progresses with Nuvelution launch

15-Jul-2015 By Zachary Brennan

With an exclusive board of directors and now some funding, Nuvelution Pharma is looking to get its risk-sharing clinical trial venture for late-stage candidates off the ground and will engage with CROs (contract research organizations) in the near future. 

Icon’s lab services group partners with Cancer Genetics on range of testing services

14-Jul-2015 By Zachary Brennan

DNA-based diagnostics company Cancer Genetics has partnered with the lab services group of CRO Icon to provide clients with new offerings, including oncology-focused genomic testing, central lab analysis, project and data management, and sample logistics.

UCB: automation makes supplier and vendor management 20% more efficient

13-Jul-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

UCB claims automating supplier management with the help of Genpact generated cost and time efficiencies at operations worldwide.

Almac's new Asia Pacific packaging hub inspected by Singapore's HSA

13-Jul-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

Singapore regulators have inspected a trial packaging site set up by Almac last month to support growing global demand for services in the region.

Private CRO expands into Armenia

09-Jul-2015 By Zachary Brennan

US and China-based CRO FMD K&L has expanded into Armenia with a new office to support clients’ needs in the region and grow the company’s business further in Europe.  

Report: Outsourcing becoming more mainstream in biomanufacturing industry

08-Jul-2015 By Zachary Brennan

As biopharmaceutical companies look to cut costs and understand their core competencies further, the use of outsourcing and off-shoring have become even more mainstream than in years past, according to the 12th annual biomanufacturing report from BioPlan...

BioClinica acquires patient recruitment, retention firm MediciGroup

07-Jul-2015 By Zachary Brennan

Specialty trials services and tech provider BioClinica has acquired the patient recruitment and retention firm, MediciGroup. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. 

BioClinica expands imaging services in Europe with two new offices

01-Jul-2015 By Zachary Brennan

BioClinica has opened offices in London and Munich to provide its European clients with expanded clinical trial services including medical imaging, site training and support, and eClinical product lines.

Marken ships trial supplies directly to patients in Korea as MERS tapers off

01-Jul-2015 By Zachary Brennan

As the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory System (MERS) slows in South Korea, logistics supplier Marken has been granted government permission to deliver the first direct to patient (DTP) shipments of clinical drugs and supplies in the country.  

eCRO Bracket Global acquires trial tech provider Clintara

29-Jun-2015 By Zachary Brennan

Bracket Global has acquired Boston-based Clintara, which will allow Bracket to integrate the Clintara platform of trial surveillance tools into its electronic platform for Clinical Outcome Assessments (eCOA). 

apceth expands gene, cell therapy manufacturing business

23-Jun-2015 By Zachary Brennan

German-based contract manufacturer apceth has received regulatory approval to use two new GMP cleanrooms for aseptic processing, which will be used for the handling and genetic manipulation of various types of cell and gene therapies. 

BIO 2015

Ex-Homeland Security cyber chief warns of threats to pharma

17-Jun-2015 By Fiona BARRY

The pharma industry must fight “vendor indifference” so suppliers and services companies are not prey to cyber attacks that can lose drug companies hundreds of thousands of dollars in minutes, according to US Homeland Security’s former head of cybercrimes...

Charles River raises questions about its own supply chain

11-Jun-2015 By Zachary Brennan

Minerals used to manufacture two of Charles River Laboratories’ products may be derived from questionable sources in Africa, though following a review of suppliers, the company has yet to fully understand where exactly they’re coming from, according to...

Patheon looks to go public with $100m IPO

09-Jun-2015 By Zachary Brennan

US-based contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Patheon has registered with the SEC as part of plans to go public with an IPO that could be worth as much as $100m.

Opko Health acquires Bio-Reference Labs for $1.47bn

05-Jun-2015 By Zachary Brennan

Drug and diagnostics company Opko Health will acquire the third largest US-based clinical lab Bio-Reference Laboratories for $1.47bn. 

AmeriSourceBergen building three facilities to support US distribution

04-Jun-2015 By Dan Stanton

AmeriSourceBergen will increase its US pharmaceutical distribution network to 28 sites through the construction of three new facilities.

Bio-Rad entangled in another lawsuit over foreign bribery

01-Jun-2015 By Zachary Brennan

The former general counsel of Bio-Rad Technologies sued the research company in California federal court last week, claiming he was illegally fired in 2013 after he blew the whistle on the company’s bribery in China.

Private equity buys French medical diagnostic service provider Labco for €1.2bn

28-May-2015 By Zachary Brennan

European private equity firm Cinven has agreed to acquire a significant majority stake in France’s Labco for €1.2bn ($1.3m).

QPS adds new in vitro dermatology and transdermal research lab in North Dakota

06-May-2015 By Zachary Brennan

Full-service CRO QPS Holdings has opened its new in vitro dermatology and transdermal research laboratory in Fargo, North Dakota. 

Update

Medidata builds open-source connector to link cloud with Apple’s ResearchKit

06-May-2015 By Zachary Brennan

Cloud-based tool provider Medidata has built an open-source connector linking the new Apple ResearchKit with its cloud to enable biopharma companies, CROs and academic institutions to map data generated by ResearchKit apps.

LabCorp sees Q1 revenue rise slightly as Covance growth downgraded for FY15

28-Apr-2015 By Zachary Brennan

Just two months after Covance shareholders signed off on LabCorp acquiring the company, and all seems to be going according to plan, though financial expectations for the rest of the year were slightly lowered by the diagnostics company.

Dispatches from PCT US

TransCelerate CEO, leaders offer update on industry group’s activities

27-Apr-2015 By Zachary Brennan

As 20 of the largest biopharma companies have now joined industry group TransCelerate, the group is beginning to use patient centricity and connectivity to influence the clinical trial environment, CEO Dalvir Gill told attendees at the Partnerships in...

MHRA licence to allow CDMO Juniper to manufacture 'Specials'

23-Apr-2015 By Dan Stanton

Juniper has received a licence to make unlicensed medicinal products – or ‘Specials’ – but will only produce batches with relatively high volumes to keep clients’ costs down.

Chinese drugmaker looks West in market expansion deal with ELC Group

22-Apr-2015 By Dan Stanton

Understanding international regulatory demands, manufacturing standards and overcoming cultural barriers are key for Asian drugmakers looking to enter Western markets, says market access CRO ELC Group.

Recipharm in talks to make LIDDS' prostate cancer drug-device candidate

22-Apr-2015 By Dan Stanton

Recipharm has begun negotiations to manufacture a prostate cancer drug-device candidate for Swedish pharma firm LIDDS.

Sigma-Aldrich opens doors to latest Singapore biopharma investment

22-Apr-2015 By Dan Stanton

Sigma-Aldrich has opened a cell culture Technical Center in Singapore and plans to expand further in the city-state with a cGMP distribution site.

PPD pushes further into Asia with new Chinese central lab

20-Apr-2015 By Zachary Brennan

CRO Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD) has opened a central laboratory in Shanghai, China, in order to meet growing client demand for scientific and technical services there.