During the 20 months before the crisis of contaminated heparin in early 2008, the US Food and Drug Administration did not inspect any Chinese heparin firms, according to a US Government Accountability Office, (GAO) report.

Roche Details Restructuring Plan; Sigma-Aldrich Names Successors after CEO's Death; and More.

PharmTech's monthly newsletter, Equipment and Processing Report, reviews the Editor's Picks for the November 2010 edition from BinMaster and Silverson Machines.

To find out about the regulatory, formulation, and manufacturing considerations involved in developing a new device to deliver a drug, Equipment and Processing Report talked to Paul Wotton, CEO of Antares Pharma.

Normal industrial practice is to control foot-borne contamination with adhesive peel-off disposable mats, but polymeric contamination-control flooring is becoming increasingly popular.

The biotechnology company Biogen Idec (Weston, MA) announced last week a major restructuring program that will refocus the company's research and development (R&D) programs, consolidate facilities, and reduce its workforce.

PQRI and FDA present Process Drift Workshop, and More.

The US Food and Drug Administration's Puerto Rico district office "may be having difficulty exercising oversight on the numerous pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities on the island," according to Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY), chair of the US House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Eli Lilly Acquires Avid Radiopharmaceuticals; EMA Recruiting New Director; and More

Sanofi-aventis (Paris) has asked Genzyme to stand aside and let the shareholders decide on whether an acquisition should take place.

The European Medicines Agency published a draft list of questions and answers on postapproval change-management protocols last week.

A roundup of developments in corporate social responsibility and sustainability from the bio/pharmaceutical industry, its suppliers, and other public and private organizations.

The Global Reporting Initiative begins an effort to increase the level and strength of sustainability reporting among US-based corporations.

The prevention and treatment of noncommunicable diseases is becoming an increasingly important consideration in global health initiatives.

The growth in pharmaceutical outsourcing is creating a more complex and risky supply-chain environment, according to a report issued last week.

sanofi acquires BMP Sunstone; DCAT Names President; and More.

Pfizer (New York) announced on Oct. 29, 2010 that it intends to recall two additional lots--approximately 38,000 bottles--of Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) 40 mg tablets distributed in the United States.

From fiscal year 2007 to 2009, the US Food and Drug Administration increased the number of foreign drug inspections it conducted, but the agency still conducted fewer foreign inspections than domestic inspections each year, according to a recent report by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO).

FDA Holds Biosimilars Public Hearing

USP is working to ensure quality standards and to increase public information.

IP rights and levels of innovation have opened a bit of controversy regarding decisions being made by Indian courts and legislators.

As technology advances, industry's needs are growing.

Scientists and practitioners must work together for the overall good of the patient.

Drug manufacturers have to be more than just "audit ready."

Remaining calm, cool, and collected during mergers and inspections is a feat in itself.

Merck and AstraZeneca Tackle Cervical Cancer and Tuberculosis.

Connecting science and policy might increase support for innovation.

There has been increasing cooperation between the EMA and the FDA in recent years, and this looks set to continue in the future.