Dosage Forms

Novartis (Basel, Switzerland) has closed on its $5.4-billion acquisition of Chiron Corporation (Emeryville, CA), paving the way for the creation of a new Novartis division focusing on vaccines and diagnostics.

This review article discusses orally disintegrating tablets and their manufacturing technologies, development issues, and future trends.

The common crystal form of ibuprofen was changed to optimize processing and manufacturing properties. Six modified crystal forms were prepared and assessed for dissolution, morphology, particle size, density, thermal characteristics, powder x-ray diffractometry, flow properties, and tabletability.

Sandoz (Holzkirchen, Germany), the generics division of Novartis (Basel, Switzerland) received European marketing authorization for its recombinant human growth hormone, ?Omnitrope? (somatropin), making it the first biogeneric product approved under the biosimilar pathway of the European Commission.

Being the first to gain the most is a fundamental principle in the generics business because several companies compete to create generics of successful products going off patent. For a generics company to maintain revenue growth in a market in which product prices continue to fall, it must secure a continuous flow of new products, with quality and speed to market being key drivers. Thus, generics companies must be highly skilled in product and process development (1), the generics business, and achieving bioequivalence-the most critical development area.

FTC Plans to Study Competitive Impacts of Authorized Generic Drugs

Reverse Genetics Avian Influenza Vaccine Approved in France

GSK Begins Clinical Trials of Two H5N1 Vaccines

Cell-culture technology and financial incentives give influenza vaccine makers a much-needed shot in the arm, but many downstream processing issues remain unaddressed.

Creation and qualification of scale-down models are essential for performing several critical activities that support process validation and commercial manufacturing. As shown in Figure 1, these activities include process characterization and production support studies that are performed to evaluate column and membrane lifetimes, demonstrate clearance of host-cell impurities and viruses and troubleshoot manufacturing issues. While the underlying fundamentals are relatively the same as those when scaling up, some unique considerations should be taken when scaling unit operations down.4

Once the brightest students are interested in bioprocessing, it is vital that they are prepared and inducted into industry.

Progress Continues in Vaccine and Antiviral Development

BMS, Sanofi-Aventis Settle Over Generic Plavix

Implementing a PAT Strategy

Chiron Withdraws Measles Vaccine

GSK Loses Bid to Block Generic "Flonase"

Development Begins on Mutated H5N1 Virus Vaccine

Novavax, Bharat Biotech Team for Pandemic Influenza Vaccine Development

Quantitative data from the literature show strong relationships among average particle size, powder densification, tensile strength, and hardness.

Transdermal matrix-type patches of Nefopam hydrochloride with a combination of pressure-sensitive adhesives were developed. The polymeric composition provided a controlled and sustained release of the drug from the patches and demonstrated favorable physicochemical characteristics.

BMS Receives FDA Approval for Transdermal Antidepressant

Because of the growing popularity of single-use materials, the identification, characterization, and qualification of new materials used for disposable processes have become increasingly important for both regulatory and production purposes. This article describes one approach to identifying and validating the materials used in a disposable filling process.

GSK Gains Approval for Rotavirus Vaccine in Infants; FDA Review Extended for Merck’s Shingles Vaccine

Human plasma provides a rich source of therapeutic medicines, including gamma globulins, coagulation factors, albumin, alpha anti-trypsin and others. In 2001, sales of immuno gamma-globulin (IgG) were estimated at $2 billion with a production rate of 50 metric tons for the year.1 A number of therapeutic products have been introduced including Gammimune from Bayer, RhoPhylac from ZLB Behring and Octagam from Octapharma.

FDA Recommends Changes for 2006-2007 Flu Vaccine