Manufacturing

"May you live in interesting times," goes the allegedly ancient Chinese curse. Well, these have been "interesting times" indeed for those working in the pharmaceutical industry.

Such an approach inevitably leads to increased front-end costs, but the advantages include better quality, reduced wastage and less product variability.

Incorporating quality and economy into downstream purification processes can expedite first-in-human clinical trials, product licensure and technology transfer. Experience in the chromatographic purification of biopharmaceuticals enables the use of downstream processing heuristics to produce target molecules in cost-effective processes suitable for regulatory scrutiny.

It is becoming evident that quality risk management within regulated, life sciences environments is a valuable component of an effective quality management system (QMS). A QMS provides a proactive and systematic means to identify, analyse, evaluate and control potential process and product quality issues during development, manufacturing, distribution and marketing throughout the entire product life cycle.

A well-devised QPP, which has been agreed on and signed by both parties, saves time and makes it easier to complete activities such as design, installations and tests.

Never has greater pressure been applied to pharmaceutical manufacturers. Shelf space competition for branded drugs has reached aggressive proportions and now even prescription drugs vie for pricing and delivery. Against this is a backdrop of ever-increasing downward price pressures, and a spectrum of progressively more stringent legislative and quality requirements. Finally, regional markets now demand different tamper evidence technology, anticounterfeiting measures and safeguards against interference by biological terrorists. Much of which points to the need for innovation in packaging - not just in terms of pack styles and sizes, but also cost.

Company and People Notes: ISP to raise prices, Patheon appoints CEO, more.

The US Food and Drug Administration has issued Ben Venue Laboratories a Warning Letter resulting from CGMP deviations found during an inspection of the company?s ?Propofol? injectable emulsion manufacturing facility earlier this year.

GlaxoSmithKline agreed to acquire Reliant Pharmaceuticals for $1.65 billion in cash.

Sanofi-aventis entered into an agreement with Chinese authorities allowing Sanofi to construct a vaccine-manufacturing plant in Shenzhen municipality.

Company and People Notes: Cambridge Major Labs acquires ChemShop; Helix BioPharma restructures senior positions, more.

Eli Lilly plans to invest $100 million in research and development in China over the next five years through Lilly Asian Ventures, a Lilly-owned venture capital firm that makes investments in Asia.

Growth in the global pharmaceutical industry is expected to slow in 2008, marked by slowing growth in the United States and other major markets. At the same time, pharmaceutical industry growth in emerging markets is expected to reach double-digits, although these markets still represent a small percentage of global pharmaceutical sales.

The US Government Accountability Office issued findings that are largely critical of the US Food and Drug Administration in managing its inspections of foreign drug-manufacturing facilities.

At the opening session of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists? 2007 Annual Meeting and Exposition, President Gene Fiese, PhD, presented awards to researchers commemorating their contributions to the pharmaceutical sciences

The Bulk Pharmaceuticals Task Force, an affiliate of the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association (SOCMA) weighed in on the Congressional debate concerning the US Food and Drug Administration?s inspection process of foreign drug- manufacturing facilities.

Looking to resolve litigation over Vioxx (rofecoxib), Merck & Co reached an agreement to settle the vast majority of Vioxx claims for $4.85 billion.

Company and People Notes: BASF raises prices on excipients; Verus Pharmaceuticals appoints president and CEO; more.

Numerous healthcare companies feature among the top 20 of the world?s largest corporate R&D spenders.

Submitting a safety update to European regulators, Novartis provided data showing its 100-mg once-daily dose of ?Galvus? (vidagliptin), an oral type 2 diabetes treatment, has more frequent liver enzyme elevations in patients than its already approved 50-mg once- and twice-daily doses.

Pfizer's Lipitor patent revoked in Germany, promotions at Charles River Labs, more.

Wyeth Consumer Healthcare launched a voluntary recall and replacement program for US retail outlets that sell several ?Robitussin? and ?Children?s Dimetapp Cold and Chest Congestion? products.

US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach testified before Congress last week to outline the agency’s inspection process for foreign drug manufacturers and efforts to improve the agency’s information technology systems.

The US Food and Drug Administration’s effectiveness in regulating the manufacture of pharmaceutical products and active pharmaceutical ingredients at foreign facilities was questioned at a Congressional hearing last week. Congress, industry, and government officials weighed in on the issue.

King Pharmaceuticals, and Acura Pharmaceuticals have entered into a license, development and commercialization agreement for the United States, Canada, and Mexico, encompassing a potentially wide range of opioid analgesic products utilizing Acura?s patented Aversion (abuse-deterrent) Technology platform.