Swiss pharma Novartis today announced the largest manufacturing investment in its history, revealing plans for a $700m (€486.5m) biotech facility to be built alongside its new solid dose plant in the low cost, high quality biopharma hub of Singapore.
Pfizer may have given up on its non-injectable insulin, but
researchers in the US think they may have cracked a way to deliver
the hormone orally, linking it up to vitamin B12 to protect it
through the digestive system.
Growing demand has prompted tableting specialist Meldex
International, formerly BioProgress, to launch a new sales and
distribution hub in Germany, with the UK firm also announcing a new
manufacturing contract for its XGel film.
UK-based TeraView has had its tablet imaging technology backed by
the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), following a study by the
regulatory agency.
Denmark-based Chr. Hansen has sold its excipients and coating
division to US company Colorcon for an undisclosed sum to
concentrate on its food business.
ALK-Abello will be funding a new DKK 300m (€40.3m) production line
dedicated to its oral grass pollen allergy vaccine at Catalent
Pharma Solutions' UK facility.
German pharma firm Stada has acquired Russian pharmaceuticals group
Makiz in a deal worth up to €135m, giving the company a sturdy
foothold in the growing Russian market and enhanced in-house
production capacity.
University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) spin-out has exclusively
licensed plasma coating technology that could improve the
controlled release of drugs and the biocompatibility of medical
implants.
A UK firm has introduced a new piece of kit for pharma firms to
test how the contents of their hard gel capsules can affect the
strength and stability of the outer shell.
Italian firm Cosmo Pharmaceuticals has announced positive
preliminary results from trials testing out a new formulation of an
antibioticfor traveller's diarrhoea that makes use of the
company's innovative MMX technology.
A new and improved extended-release treatment for schizophrenia has
been granted marketing authorisation by the European
Commission. Invega (paliperidone) is a once-daily formulation
that will be marketed by J&J subsidiary, Janssen-Cilag.
SkyePharma's novel controlled-release sleep therapeutic has been
licensed by Somnus Therapeutics in an exclusive worldwide
development and commercialisation deal.
JRS Pharma has entered into a collaboration with US firm CoreRX to
develop co-processed active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) using
JRS's high functionality excipient technology, Prosolv
A joint effort to develop a winning oral formulation for the
treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) has taken another step towards
the finish line with initiation of Phase III trials for the novel
laquinimod compound.
Siegfried Generics this week kicked off production at its new
manufacturing facility in Malta making the most of the country's
lack of pharma patents which gives the firm a head-start in
producing generic pharmaceuticals.
An Italian firm specialising in novel drug delivery technologies is
due to receive a lump sum of €1m following the successful
development of a new formulation of a GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) drug.
Two firms have announced a licence and supply agreement for a novel
formulation of valproic acid presented as a softgel capsule, which
could challenge Abbott's top selling drug Depakote (divalproex
sodium).
Batches of two fake blockbuster drugs are being recalled after
counterfeits made their way into the UK supply chain via parallel
distribution, adding fuel to the debate on the security of the
practice in the EU.
An oral formulation of salmon calcitonin based on Emisphere
Technologies' eligen delivery system has entered Phase III clinical
trials for the treatment of osteoarthritis.
Novel tabletting technology developed by US company ACCU-BREAK Pharmaceuticals promises to solve the problem of uneven doses when pills are split by hand.
Contract manufacturer Granules India is moving towards vertical
integration, with a new tabletting facility scheduled to come
onstream this August at the company's Gagillapur site near
Hyderabad in India.
A new machine developed by US firm Vardex Laser promises to offer a
unique solution to the global problem of drug counterfeiting,
protecting products right down to the pill itself.
French company Roquette has been awarded a US patent for a
dissolve-in-the-mouth drug delivery technology that makes use of
its novel StarLac excipient.
A new market-oriented approach to product development, more
favourable licensing arrangements, strategic acquisitions and a
fresh crop of proprietary drug-delivery technologies helped UK
company BioProgress to deliver an adjusted...
UK firm SkyePharma last week announced that the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) has accepted a filing for the extended release
formulation of partner GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) drug Requip
(ropinirole).
Researchers have created a new strain of wheat with an inbuilt
resistance to devastating scab blight which infects wheat heads -
reducing crop yields as well as market value and quality.
A combination therapy to help smokers kick the habit has begun
evaluation in Phase I pilot studies in the US. A sustained-release
formulation of Cary Pharmaceutical's QuitPak has been developed
with IntelGenx Technologies as...
US-based drug delivery firm, BioDelivery Sciences International
(BDSI), has asked for approval to start clinical trials of a soya
bean-based delivery technology that would lead to the first oral
version of amphotericin B, a widely-used...
UK-based firm BioProgress has developed novel tablet cores that
mean pills which were previously very difficult to coat can be
reformulated and easily coated using the company's innovative
TabWrap technology.
Major pharmaceutical player GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has begun
construction of a €23m facility in County Waterford, Ireland. The
new facility is already under construction at the company's
consumer healthcare manufacturing site...
BioProgress are set to speed up commercialisation of NRobe, their
solid oral dose system, following completion of a restructuring
agreement with Magenta Oral Dose Design.
US-based researchers have proven that 'large' nanoparticles can
pass through human mucus, which means that they could serve as
sustained-release carriers for drugs treating diseases affecting
the mucous membranes, such as...
New French research into biodegradable polymers is opening up the
door to controlled release treatments for a broader range of drugs,
potentially doing away with traditional delivery methods of a
variety of drugs.
PerkinElmer has announced its acquisition of a line of Dynamic
Mechanical Analysis (DMA) products from UK-based firm Triton
Technology in its latest move following a busy year of purchases
during 2006.
The pharmaceutical industry's first fully portable drug
anti-counterfeiting device will be presented in Baltimore later
this month at IFPAC, the International Forum on Process Analytical
Chemistry.
Giant drug maker Eli Lilly has confirmed that it will be closing
its manufacturing facility in Basingstoke, England, resulting in
$85m to $95m in restructuring costs for the company.
A UK based firm aims to take up the fight against drug
counterfeiters with its innovative imaging and spectroscopy
products. TeraView says its technology could aid regulators and law
enforcement agencies screen for potentially lethal...
Dr Reddy's Laboratories has boosted its ability to serve Western
pharmaceutical markets with an increase in its manufacturing
capacity for drug formulations.
Dr Reddy's Laboratories has started first clinical trials of a
"four-in-one" polypill clinical trial, which could revolutionise
the cardiovascular drugs market.
Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has invested in a tablet
manufacturing plant in Egypt, which could form a launching pad for
an expansion into emerging markets.
International Journal of Pharmceutics: In Vitro: The dissolution characteristics of five capsules (Next Generation Enteric [NGE], Vcaps® Enteric [VCE],...