Vaccines could be produced in less than 10 weeks from first isolation of the RNA sequence by using insect cell derived influenza VLPs, according to research which has implications for H1N1 and H5N1.
InNexus Biotechnology believes 2010 is the year for biotechs to differentiate and has begun this process by using its Transmab delivery technology in a product for treating psoriasis.
Laureate Pharma and Selexis SA have entered into a joint-marketing relationship, drawing on their respective strengths in contract manufacturing and cell line development to shorten timelines.
Sartorius Stedim Biotech has introduced FlexAct BP, the first product in a range which will be an integrated single-use system for entire biomanufacturing steps in upstream and downstream processing.
SAFC Biosciences hopes Ex-Cell Antifoam, its new foam control product for cell culture bioreactors, will work the biomanufacturing sector into a lather.
SAFC Pharma has added extra viral and biologics capacity at its California plant in a $12m project that allows it to take projects from the lab to commercial scale.
Canadian biologics CMO BioVectra has been contracted to make trial supplies of the candidate cancer treatment Prolanta by US biopharmaceutical firm Oncolix.
US CMO Florida Biologix (FB) says its new contract with America Stem Cell (ASC) shows that demand for trial-phase biologics manufacturing is starting to recover.
CMO Avid Bioservices’ revenues rose by 74 per cent to $2.1m (€1.5m) in Q2, generating a further $7m from its parent company, and it has plans to boost output and become a leader in mammalian cell culture production.
Basel-headquartered Roche has paid fellow Swiss firm Lonza $290m (€203m) for its Singapore biologics plant in a bid to secure long-term manufacturing capacity for biotech cancer drugs.
Pfizer’s new $214.8 million (€150m) biotechnology facility in Strangnas, Sweden was inaugurated yesterday, securing the country’s future in the company’s manufacturing network according to global manufacturing president Natale Ricciardi.
Rollprint Packaging Products claims that its prototype laboratory can help cut time to market by providing information about how packaging will behave in the commercial environment.
Demand for downstream processing products from biotechs drove the continued recovery of Millipore’s bioprocessing division in Q2 but operating income remained flat.
US biotechnology group OSI Pharmaceuticals will move HQ to a facility in Greenburgh, New York due, according to observers, to the high cost of land at its current base in Long Island.
Novartis and Jubilant Organosys are among several companies forced to recall generic drugs after manufacturing operations at their shared CMO, India’s MJ Biopharm, were found to be in breach of GMP guidelines.
BASF and Sinopec are to invest $1.4bn (€1bn) in expanding their Chinese specialty chemical joint venture, adding 10 plants and increasing capacity at three existing sites.
Novasep has bolstered its upstream processing capabilities by acquiring Henogen, a Belgium-based CMO that has biotech development and cGMP manufacturing expertise.
Millipore has ramped up capacity for its Mobius range of single use bio-processing and manufacturing technologies with a new purpose built production facility in Danvers, Massachusetts.
CMO Kemwell is receiving technical assistance from Boehringer Ingelheim for the construction of its new biotech facility, which is designed to marry European technology with Indian low cost manufacturing.
Wacker has brought its expanded cyclodextrin facility online following its $21m (€15m) expansion, which has significantly increased capacity in response to growing demand for the excipient.
CMO Richter-Helm BioLogics has achieved a 60 per cent increase in yield using technology from Upfront Chromatography, which demonstrated its system at BIO 2009.
in-Pharmatechnologist's Nick Taylor looks back on BIO 2009, an event at which uncertainty about the development of the biotechnology industry’s future shape dominated proceedings.
HEM Pierre Vimont, Ambassador of France to the US, was at BIO 2009 talking about the measures his nation have taken to attract biotechs, including the introduction of the "most favourable R&D tax in Europe".
Agilent has completed the second expansion of its nucleic acid active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing facility, which is intended to meet rising demand for oligonucleotide-based drugs.
Millipore has launched its single-use ChromaSorb membrane adsorber, which binds negative impurities from host cell protein (HCP), DNA, endotoxins, and viruses at high salt concentrations.
Drug delivery specialist Hospira has set up a “biologics clock” that counts the amount spent on cell culture-derived medications in the US in a bid to highlight the potential savings greater use of generics could provide.
AstraZeneca (AZ) has become the latest company to enter into a research collaboration with Jubilant, with the companies initially focusing on delivering preclinical candidates in the neuroscience area.
Althea Technologies’ biologics and injectables contract development, manufacturing and testing facility in San Diego, US is open for business, bringing to an end the firm’s two year campaign to expand capacity.
Massachusetts Biotechnology Council’s (MBC) 2015 strategic plan has outlined the difficulties the state faces in attracting biomanufacturing and called for increased focus on R&D.
The US contract manufacturing sector is strong enough to bounce back from any short-term slow down caused by the credit crisis, according to a new report by Frost & Sullivan (F&S).
Novozymes and Millipore have launched an animal-free culture supplement, which has been designed to reduce risk and regulatory pressures in upstream biopharmaceutical processes.
Flexibility is going to be a key driver for the pharmaceutical market in the next few years, according to Millipore's VP of downstream processing Paul Chapman.
Merck & Co is investing an additional €20m ($27m) in its biologics plant in Carlow, Ireland just weeks after it unveiled plans to create a “powerful biologics presence” through its $41bn move for fellow US drug giant Schering-Plough.
Sensorin has used Interphex 2009 to preview its self-calibrating pH measurement system, which it claims is the first of its kind and will help maximise yield in downstream purification processes.
Faced with a tougher operating environment, Irish drugmaker Elan has decided to slash staff numbers by 230 – or around 14 per cent of its total workforce – shelve the construction of a new biologics manufacturing facility and shutter fill-and-finish capacity...
Crucell and DSM Biologics have added fellow Dutch firm Bioceros to the PER.C6 vendor network to provide manufacturing and support capacity in line with increased demand for the cell line.
Dr Rajashekar Reddy, chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, India presided over the inauguration ceremony for Biological E’s new INR3bn ($61m) vaccine and biopharmaceuticals manufacturing campus.
Late last week the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded Novartis a $490m contract to continue work on its cell-culture influenza vaccine plant in Holly Springs, North Carolina, US. in-PharmaTechnologist spoke with Novartis spokesman...
Positive noises from an FDA panel on GTC Biotherapeutics’ recombinant antithrombin ATryn may further the use of transgenic animals for drug production but should the manufacturing process rather than the drug’s safety be our prime concern?
The number of public biotechs will plummet in 2009 to 250 as difficulties in securing funding results in mergers, acquisitions and bankruptcies, according to the CEO of a life science investment company.
The completion of trial batches of Siga Technologies’ smallpox treatment ST-246 could not have been better timed following as it does the recomendation that the Obama government raise the threat of bio-terror up its list of concerns.
Biotech bodies from around the globe have been calling on their respective governments to provide stimulus packages to compensate for the current difficulties in obtaining credit.
Irish drugmaker Elan, which recently dropped plans to sell its Elan Drug Technologies operation, has announced job cuts and the closure of offices in a bid to save cash.
