Manufacturing

Also, Cobra Biomanufacturing to extend collaboration and form joint venture with ViroMed, Epix Pharmaceuticals CEO resigns, more...

Pharmaceutical companies developing new drug candidates for Hepatitis C virus infection now can test their compounds with a novel culture system that mimics the biology of HCV infection in humans.

As part of a new strategic direction, GlaxoSmithKline CEO Andrew Witty outlined three priorities that are designed to improve the company's long-term financial performance.

Senator Sherrod Brown sent a letter to Richard T. Clark, president and chief executive officer of Merck (Whitehouse Station, NJ), to ask for information about the company's reliance on global outsourcing for the manufacture of pharmaceutical ingredients and finished products.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and Barr Pharmaceuticals (Montvale, NJ) signed a definitive agreement under which Teva will acquire Barr, the fourth-largest generic-drug company in the world. Teva will buy each share of Barr common stock for $39.90 in cash and 0.6272 Teva shares. Based on the closing price of Teva?s shares on July 16, 2008, the price per share of Barr common stock is $66.50, and the total value of the acquisition is $7.46 billion. Teva will assume Barr?s outstanding net debt of approximately $1.5 billion.

Roche plans to acquire the biopharmaceutical company Genentech (South San Francisco, CA) for $43.7 billion. Roche currently holds a 55.9% stake in Genentech and it plans to acquire the remaining publicly held minority interest that it does not own for $89 per share.

Also, Niro changes its name to GEA Process Engineering; Frances K. Heller joins Exelixis as executive vice-president of business development, more...

Pfizer (New York, NY) announced plans to restructure staff at its Kalamazoo, Michigan, facility, leading to an estimated job cut of 275 by the end of the year.

Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) agreed to reduce the output of ozone-depleting refrigerants at several industrial facilities around the country to resolve violations of the Clean Air Act. The company's modifications will cost approximately $3.65 million.

Also, Roche to end HIV/AIDS research program, WuXi PharmaTech makes appointments, more...

Creating nanoparticles can be challenging and requires appropriate equipment and techniques. Media milling or grinding is the best-established manufacturing method for nanoparticle production.

A pharmaceutical company's information-technology infrastructure could facilitate the appraisal of the performance of contract manufacturing organizations.

PharmTech's monthly newsletter, Equipment & Processing Report, reviews the Editor's Picks for the July 2008 edition from Parker Fluid Control Division and Watson-Marlow Bredel.

Pfizer has agreed to pay $975,000 in civil penalties to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Air Act at its former manufacturing plant in Groton, Connecticut, according to a release by the US Department of Justice.

Also, Catalent Pharma Solutions to collaborate with One World Design and Manufacturing Group, Bioheart appoints Howard J. Leonhardt as CEO, more...

Change control in life-sciences organizations is a critical business issue in terms of risk, safety, and performance. The author examines common shortcomings in change control when implementing non-enterprise solutions and the functionality derived from enterprise-level change control.

Also, Covance and WuXi PharmaTech to form contract research joint venture in China, Covidien makes appointments to its Pharmaceutical Products and Imaging Solutions businesses, more...

Richard E. Maleczka Jr. and Milton R. Smith III, professors of the Department of Chemistry at Michigan State University, were recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency's Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards, for designing a catalytic reaction to synthesize precursors for the Suzuki-coupling reaction.

Molecular Profiles created a poster that demonstrates the efficacy of its "nanoPASS" (nanoscale predictive analytical screening solution) technique to characterize an active pharmaceutical ingredient's (API) surface energy.

President Bush signed H.R. 2642, the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2008, which provides $150 million to the US Food and Drug Administration for medical-safety and drug-safety activities.

Drugmakers seeking to block the activity of a protein may have a new strategy at their disposal.

Staff reductions are not surprising with the state of the economy and falling pharmaceutical sales.

This review article explains how self-emulsifying drug delivery systems can increase the solubility and bioavailability of poorly soluble drug.

A new book explains process analytical technology, drug stability, and quality.

The authors developed a method to accurately measure the average molecular weight of large poly(ethylene glycols) (PEGs) using ion-mobility time-of-flight mass spectrometry coupled with gas-phase ion–molecule reactions.