One of the most important skills any editor must possess is the ability to listen to their audience — without feedback, we don't get an opportunity to develop our publications; to not act on feedback shows plain ignorance. I must, therefore, give my personal thanks to the many hundreds of readers who participated in the Pharmaceutical Technology Europe (PTE) editorial and readership survey, which we conducted earlier this summer. Your comments and opinions will help us develop PTE, and we already have a number of exciting plans for 2006. Stay tuned!

One of the world leaders in the manufacture of tablet compression tooling, I Holland, is offering a range of machines for the automatic polishing of tablet compression tooling.

Essentially, RAD is a set of tools…that allows for rapid prototyping and reiterative testing that enable faster development and implementation of new applications.

Adding Braille to pharmaceutical packaging should be less of a challenge with the use of Esko-Graphics' Scope solution. EC Directive 2004/27/CE requires Braille labelling and information to be provided with pharmaceutical products for human use, and companies are scrambling to implement this by 31 October.

Biogen to Cut Jobs

The pharmaceutical science education system must be transformed.

The US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID, Bethesda, MD, www3.niaid.nih.gov) announced it will order two million doses of an avian influenza vaccine from Sanofi-Pasteur (Swiftwater, PA and Lyon, France, www. sanofipasteur.com). In April, the NIAID began a Phase I trial to evaluate the vaccine’s safety and ability to generate immunity against the H5N1 strain of avian flu, an illness that leads to severe disease and possible death in birds and humans.

Technology's new monthly "Agent-in-Place" column distills true-life cautionary tales from the secret files of Control, a senior compliance officer.

Lean is good. Emaciated is something else.

Because disposable systems offer benefits that can impact the time for development as well as for the cost of production, the biotech sector is expected to continue to use these technologies ...

Two of the largest companies in the pharma industry are to join forces to supply and distribute 96-well Multi-SPE Extraction Plates. The instruments, which are to be circulated by Millipore, are manufactured by 3M for the purpose of isolating and concentrating low levels of analytes, and function by removing substances that interfere with mass spectrometry signal detection. The devices feature 3M Empore membranes, which produce clean extracts, extend LC-MS/MS column life and decrease instrument downtime.

Chiron Corporation (Emeryville, CA, www.chiron.com) announced that quality problems at its Marlburg, Germany, manufacturing plant will prevent the company from supplying its "Begrivac" influenza virus vaccine to non-US markets for the 2005–2006 flu season.

As one Midwestern city has discovered, there is life after Big Pharma.

Our GMP Agent-in-Place at a top-10 pharmaceutical manufacturing firm reports on a spill during the manufacture of a time-release capsule filled with coated beads.

Cold chain management is becoming pivotal to success in the pharmaceutical industry.

To help meet the needs of the fast-growing, global biopharmaceuticals industry, Pall Corporation has launched five innovative technologies aimed at increasing drug-manufacturing efficiency through customization and disposability. The Mustang XT5000 capsule is the company's novel chromatography technology for efficient capture of large molecules, especially used to develop DNA and virus-based drugs. Expanding its portfolio of technologies for disposable processing, Pall offers both the customizable Tangential Flow Filtration system, which incorporates single-use components for downstream processing applications, and the Kleenpak Connector — a new single-use device, which enables aseptic connections to be made instantly.

API and fine chemicals companies in Asia are flexing their muscles in a bid to increase their market share in key territories. This has been demonstrated by India's Malladi Drugs and Pharmaceuticals, which earlier this summer acquired Novus, a US company, to boost its presence in the pseudoephedrine (an ingredient used in cough and cold formulations) market. Reportedly, this is the first time (and it certainly won't be the last) that an Indian API manufacturer has bought a US counterpart and drives home the message that Indian companies are looking at providing products on a global scale. The deal gives Malladi an almost vice-like grip on a third of the global pseudoephedrine market, and more importantly, a foot in the lucrative US sector.

Colorcon has opened three specially equipped design centres devoted to tablet brand imaging. Located in West Point (PA, USA), Dartford (UK) and Goa (India), the facilities form an integral part of the brand enhancement system for tablets — a unique service supporting new product development and brand management of an existing product. Each design facility is equipped for collaboration between Colorcon experts and a client's own project team.

More and more often, manufacturers in need of outside services are turning to preferred providers.

Aptuit To Purchase Quintiles

Able Labs Files for Chapter 11

Xanodyne Acquires aaiPharma Assets

Able Interim Chief Resigns Amid Drug Recall

Police and protests at BIO 2005.

The industry should develop a set of best practices for managing information technology systems and not wait for FDA to take the lead.

Able Laboratories, Inc. (Cranbury, NJ, www.ablelabs.com) announced in late May that it would halt all production and recall all available product because of problematic testing procedures discovered during an internal investigation. The company manufactures mostly generic prescription drugs, including drugs containing acetaminophen.

Schering AG To Cut Plants and Staff