The contract manufacturing sector lagged behind the rest of the
outsourcing industry serving the pharmaceutical sector in 2004, but
there are encouraging signs for the future, reports Phil
Taylor.
Researchers in the US have found that blocking the COX-1, not COX-2
enzyme, might lead the way to prevent and treat the most common and
fatal form of ovarian cancer.
Boehringer Ingelheim and Slovenian company BIA Separations have
collaborated on a new separation and purification system that
should improve the production of plasmid DNA.
A study suggesting combination therapy could stop the spread and
halt the growth of skin melanomas could pave the way for a better
understanding of the disease, and thus, the development of more
effective long-term treatment options...
A second market research report has found evidence that production
capacity in the market for contract manufacturing of
biopharmaceuticals is now in excess, in contrast to the hitherto
prevailing wisdom that the sector has been suffering...
Hamilton Life Science Robotics has taken Invitrogen's Gateway
Technology one step further by creating an automated cloning system
that monitors and tracks each plate undergoing various processes.
The system aims to further refine...
Integra Biosciences has launched the CELLine disposable flask,
which harnesses membrane technology that is suitable for
recombinant protein expression and high yield monoclonal antibody
production.
Genetix Limited has launched the ClonePixFL, a mammalian cell
imaging and picking instrument that builds upon the success of the
ClonePix adding fluorescent capabilities to its clone picking
abilities.
GE Healthcare has launched the first in a new family of
chromatography media designed specifically to handle the high
volumes used in the bioprocessing sector.
Despite burgeoning demand for biopharmaceutical drugs, little
progress is being made toward the improving efficiency and reducing
costs in conventional biomanufacturing processes using microbial or
mammalian fermentation systems.
Qiagen has announced a new product line for the separation,
purification and handling of nucleic acids, an essential process in
drug discovery, which aims to improve over current applied methods,
which suffer from decreased sensitivity...
Qiagen has launched an automated viral DNA and RNA purification
solution that provides improved sensitivity in purification and
detection of viral DNA and RNA from serum, plasma, and cell-free
body fluids.
Canada's SemBioSys Genetics has been granted a US patent on a
vaccine production system that uses genetically modified seeds as
biological factories of vaccine antigens.
Invitrogen, which supplies reagents, services and software for the
life science market, has continued its acquisitive streak with the
announcement that it is paying $35 million (€27.5m) for a UK firm -
DNA Research Innovations - specialising...
The contract manufacturing market for biologicals will more than
double over the next six years, but production costs are higher
than necessary because 'downstream' processing is being ignored.
A study performed at Tufts University in the US, commissioned by
the Nordic Council of Ministers, has downplayed the impact of the
controversial REACH legislation on the European chemicals industry.
Filtration separation specialist Pall has introduced a new filter
technology that improves the effectiveness of bioburden reduction
in pharmaceutical production and cuts costs.
Invitrogen, a provider of life science technologies, has entered
into new licensing agreements to supply its Gateway Technology and
clones to worldwide genomic research centres. This will allow
scientists and laboratories to share...
Dutch biotech firm Qiagen has announced the acquisition of key
assets of Molecular Staging (MSI), which includes the Whole Genome
Amplification (WGA) technology, designed to eliminate limitations
created by scarce quantities of DNA...
Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim has completed the validation process
for its new biopharmaceutical production plant in Biberach with a
positive inspection by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Germany's Icon Genetics and Israeli firm Protalix are to
collaborate on a way of hiking protein expression in plant cells to
improve their use a production vehicle for recombinant proteins.
In an unusual move, Finnish science park Medipolis has set up a new
Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) pilot plant to take advantage of
the growing demand for biopharmaceutical production capacity.
The company Evotec OAI, a drug discovery and development solution
provider to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries has
announced the successful expansion of their in vitro and in silico
ADMET (Adsorption, Distribution,...
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.
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...
Novartis' generic drugs subsidiary Sandoz has opened two new
manufacturing plants in Austria and Slovenia that mark its entry
into the contract manufacture of biopharmaceuticals using mammalian
cell culture.
The pharmaceutical industry must cut the time its drugs linger in
development and terminate less promising projects earlier if it is
to improve the efficiency and productivity of its R&D
programmes.
The REACH framework for chemicals will contrary to the industry's
view, actually improve conditions for innovation in Europe,
according to EU Commissioner Erkki Liikanen.
The recently-formed Advanced Biosciences unit of Rohm and Haas has
introduced the first product in a new line of functionalised resin
systems for the immobilisation of biocatalytic enzymes at the CphI
meeting in Frankfurt, Germany.
Boehringer Ingelheim doubles its biopharmaceutical production
capacity at a stroke with the completion of a new plant at its site
in Biberach, Germany; a similar expansion in Austria is also
underway.
A team of researchers at Switzerland's Novartis and Rigel
Pharmaceuticals in the USA have created a method for discovering
molecules that are involved in signalling pathways, according to a
report in the Journal of Biology.
The genomics industry is already separating into two tiers; the
winners are those focused on targets and drug development and which
have products in or near the clinic, as well as strong
partnerships, says analyst
Alfa Laval and Millipore are to work together to supply tools for
the recovery of biopharmaceutical proteins generated by cell
culture and fermentation.
Ultrasound monitoring of process column chromatography can lead to
significant improvements in productivity, lower costs and greater
drug purity, says study
KS Avicenna, the Canadian unit of KS Biomedix of the UK, launched a
newly expanded contract biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in
Canada, to service both North American and European clients, at the
start of the BIO 2003 meeting,...
Swiss life-science company Lonza announced on Tuesday that it is to
strengthen the production of oligonucleotides - an emerging new
class of therapeutics consisting of short nucleic acid chains
interfering in the processing of genetic...
