The European Fine Chemicals Group (EFCG) has called for stricter
regulation of pharmaceutical excipients in a bid to prevent
substandard and potentially dangerous products ending up in
medicinal drugs.
ZaCh Systems has acquired PPG Industries' fine chemicals business
for approximately $65m (€46.9m), which includes a pharmaceutical
fine chemicals facility in Texas.
AstraZeneca is planning to gradually withdraw from making its own
active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and will use China as the
pinnacle of its new outsourcing plans.
The International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) has
published its latest industry guide, a revised edition of its
manual providing industry guidance on facilities and production of
active pharmaceutical ingredients...
Dutch ingredients firm DSM has announced plans to carve out its
anti-infectives business and boost its presence in Asian markets
following a review of the active ingredient unit.
Following last year's contaminated glycerin poisonings in Panama
and last month's FDA guidance, US-PharmaTechnologist.com takes a
look at the implications of testing for the excipient glycerin in
the pharmaceutical supply...
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
Albany Molecular Research (AMRI) has followed up its push into new
markets for its drug discovery operations by tapping into the
well-established trend for sourcing contract pharmaceutical
manufacturing from the lower-cost Asian region.
US contract manufacturer Albemarle has announced it will move
operations of its pilot plant in Ohio to its recently acquired
manufacturing facility in Michigan.
Varian has launched a new dissolution system specifically geared to
testing small drug volumes in medical devices such as implants or
drug-eluting stents.
A number of executives and technical staff at small to medium size
pharmaceutical firms are unaware of how to use their resources
effectively to comply with new EMEA guidelines, designed to
minimise the environmental impact of compounds,...
Dr Reddy's Laboratories has boosted its ability to serve Western
pharmaceutical markets with an increase in its manufacturing
capacity for drug formulations.
Solvay has contracted Novasep to provide synthesis of two active
pharmaceutical ingredients, following Novasep's decision to combine
synthesis and processing expertise.
Almost 130 jobs will be lost at BASF's Minden site as the company
succumbs to growing pressure from the Asian generic active
pharmaceutical ingredient (API) market.
A year after it published its five-year strategy: Vision 2010 -
Building on Strengths - DSM's commitment is showing no sign of
slowing as is continues to invest in the expansion of its
pharmaceutical production capabilities around...
Using a processing technique described as "revolutionary," DSM is
accelerating its activity in the anti-infective arena and targeting
new active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) that it can develop
into cost-competitive...
Pfizer CentreSource has decided to outsource the manufacture of some of its active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) to two Asian contract manufacturers and intends to work with the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) during the process.
British pharma company Aesica has bought a chemical manufacturing
facility from Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD), Merck's UK subsidiary,
in a bid to increase it manufacturing capacities.
Biotechnology firm Codexis says it has reached an important
development milestone in its effort to design a biocatalytic
process to produce a key intermediate for a Schering-Plough drug,
reducing manufacturing costs and environmental...
Portuguese drug producers are small and need to merge or form
alliances to compete at a global level, investing more in
innovation and increasing their competitiveness like custom
manufacturer Hovione has done, a new report by market...
In an attempt to counter competition in generic active
pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) from Asian manufacturers, BASF
has decided to downscale production at its Minden production site,
implementing a restructuring programme that...
Cambrex's Q2 results show that the life sciences firm is slowly
making a comeback after being crushed by a $140.3m (€116.7m) loss
in Q4, however, it has failed to completely stem the bleed from its
Biopharma unit, blamed for...
Specialty chemicals firm Cognis has received good manufacturing
practice (GMP) certification for its production of pharmaceutical
excipients in Germany, the first chemical company in the world to
do so but certainly not the last.
Active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturers in Europe are
struggling to differentiate their capabilities and compete in an
outsourcing market suffering from overcapacity, diminishing
profitability and threats from Asia.
The sale of Clariant's Pharmaceutical Fine Chemicals (PFC) to
equity firm Towerbrook for around SFr110m (€70m) has been completed
and the unit, now called Archimica, is determined to dominate the
pharma raw materials market.
Alpharma has asked one of the largest manufacturers of bulk active
pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in China, Zhejiang Hisun
Pharmaceutical, to help it double its capacity of making
vancomycin.
Looking to add active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and
intermediates to its Chinese portfolio, Degussa has acquired a
majority stake in the Chinese fine chemicals firm Lynchem, allowing
it to target the pharma industry more competitively.
SAFC Supply Solutions has introduced new phosphoramidites and
ancillary reagents for oligonucleotide (oligo) synthesis, promising
consistent quality, tight specifications and reliability.
MFIC Corporation, whose Microfluidics Division manufactures
industrial submicron processing equipment, has returned to
profitability in the first quarter of 2006 after big losses in
first quarter of last year, buoyed by increased...
Registration is now open for the annual "Pharmaceutical Outsourcing
of Discovery Chemistry, Advanced Intermediates and API's"
conference, which this year celebrates its 10th anniversary.
Swiss biopharmaceutical firm Biopartners has got the thumbs up from
the European Commission for its biosimilar drug Valtropin, making
it only the second biogeneric drug to have been approved in Europe
after Sandoz's Omnitrope...
After failing to reverse falling sales at its Pharmaceutical Fine
Chemicals (PFC) division, Clariant has decided to sell the unit to
private equity firm Towerbrook for around SFr110m (€70m).
Chemicals firm Lonza has vowed to spend $200m (€160m) over the next
few years to expand in southern China, further limiting its
dependence on external suppliers of intermediates and active
pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).
Organon, Akzo Nobel's healthcare division, has conceded it will
have to close its Diosynth manufacturing plant in Scotland by the
end of the year since it cannot divest it, as the unit's lack of
competitiveness in the production...
Unlike with active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), there are no
clear governmental good manufacturing practice (GMP) guidelines for
excipients in the US, Europe or China. Now the International
Pharmaceutical Excipients Council...
Johnson Matthey, a British catalyst, precious metals and chemicals
firm with a division that provides contract manufacturing services
of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) to pharmaceutical
companies, has bought chemical technology...
In the second part of a special report, In-PharmaTechnologist has
taken a closer look at the Pharmaceutical Fine Chemicals Business
of Clariant, which made a series of announcements on new
investments in facilities in Europe and the...
Degussa used CPhI in Madrid to preview its new flow distributor,
which reduces the time it takes manufacturers to remove unwanted
transition metals from active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), by
eliminating the filtration step.
Dr. Reddy's Laboratories (DRL) has signed a definitive agreement to
acquire Roche's Mexican API business, in a move to drive the next
wave of growth in its custom pharmaceutical services (CPS)
business.
Cambrex has recorded a gain in the third quarter of this year, with
growth in its Bioproducts and Human Health segments. The company's
troublesome BioPharma division continues to underperform,
indicative of a market for outsourced...
Arsenal Capital Partners has acquired a majority stake in Reilly
Industries for €209 million and Velsicol Chemical for an
undisclosed fee. The purchases continue a rich vein of activity for
the private equity firm, which now hold...
Bangledeshi's Beximco Pharmaceuticals has announced that the
company has raised $21 million after it successfully completed an
institutional placing of global depositary receipts (GDRs).
Excipients, often overlooked by pharmaceutical companies with their
attention firmly focused on active pharmaceutical ingredients, are
benefiting from an increasing awareness of their potential to cut
the costs of drug development.
Cambrex has recorded a gain in the second quarter of this year,
with growth in its Bioproducts and Human Health segments. The
performances overshadow the company's troublesome BioPharma
division, indicative of a market for outsourced...
American Pacific Corp has agreed to acquire the assets of Aerojet
Fine Chemicals for $119 million (€98m), in a deal which APC said
would give it access to 'fast-growing pharmaceutical markets'.
Australia's Nufarm has sold SEAC, the fine chemicals custom
manufacturing business it acquired in 1988, to recently-formed
Minakem Holdings for €23 million.