Manufacturing

Kenilworth, NJ (Mar. 12)-Schering-Plough Corporation agreed to acquire Organon BioSciences N.V., the human and animal health businesses of Akzo Nobel N.V., for EUR 11 billion ($14.4 billion) in cash.

Gurgaon, Haryana, India (Mar. 13)-Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited confirmed that it has made a nonbinding bid for the generic drug business of Merck KGaA.

Bayer has confirmed plans to cut 6100 jobs globally.

"Now is the moment for a big push" in improving the environment for the UK biotech industry argues Tony Blair, Prime Minister.

Berlin, Germany (Mar. 2)-Estimating it would save approximately EUR 700 million ($917.7 million), Bayer HealthCare will integrate the activities of its Pharma division with those of the former Schering AG, Germany.

Just because the wheels are turning doesn't mean they're going forward.

Security, the environment, aging populations, the bio-boom, and cost control are just a few of the drivers that will influence pharmaceutical packaging for the remainder of this decade.

FDA's new safety program, Critical Path Initiative, and user-fee proposal seek to reinvigorate pharmaceutical R&D.

Filling machines often are installed in sterile rooms and separated by isolators to prevent contamination. These methods have certain drawbacks, including making interventions more difficult. Restricted-access barrier systems are an alternative that ensures sterility and facilitates interventions.

As big pharmaceutical companies restructure and reevaluate the way they do business, contract research and manufacturing organizations could reap greater financial rewards.

Washington, DC (Feb. 22)-The Biotechnology Industry Organization criticized two separate studies respectively released by the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association and Express Scripts, Inc. regarding the cost-savings, interchangeability, and market penetration of follow-on biologics.

Implementing process analytical technology principles can be a challenging task. This article presents a straightforward approach.

Several problematic issues are associated with the development and installation of automated drug manufacturing and testing processes. The author addresses how vendors can overcome these factors to deliver robust automation across multiple sites.

London (Feb. 22)-AstraZeneca unveiled further details of its plan to reduce staff at certain production facilities and announced a $120-million investment in a new process research and development (PR&D) facility in the United Kingdom.

Innovations in process analysis and control offer significant opportunities for improving pharmaceutical manufacturing operations

Rockville, MD (Feb. 1)-The US Food and Drug Administration issued a revised warning letter to Actavis Totowa, LLC, citing ?significant deviations from the current Good Manufacturing Practice regulations.?

Disposables simplify the flow of people and materials through a facility, decreasing both its footprint and amount of equipment needed, as well as minimizing upfront capital costs.

The increasing demand for speed-to-market requires that modern pharmaceutical laboratories work faster, more accurately and efficiently than before. Unavoidably, this leads to a number of bottlenecks that threaten the overall laboratory operation and efficiency.

The acquisition and integration of postdevelopment phase staff could be likened to a relay race where making the hand-over of the baton correctly is critical.

Finding a CMO partner will take time and an incorrect choice that leads to changing the CMO is financially very painful.

While single-use technologies can be used for filtration, storage and at connection points in egg-based vaccine production, their use multiplies in cell-based applications.

As the supply-chain strategies of the pharmaceutical industry evolve, managing risks in outsourcing takes on greater importance. A recent program by the Drug, Chemical, and Associated Technologies Association examined approaches to mitigating risk and improving the pricing-and-cost model in the outsourced relationship.

Princeton, NJ (Feb. 15, 2007)-Ranbaxy Inc., confirmed that federal officials conducted a search of its New Jersey offices on Feb. 14, 2007 and commented on its reported plan to acquire Merck's generics business.

Hafnarfjordur, Iceland (Feb. 13)-Generic drug manufacturer Actavis acquired the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) division of Sanmar Specialty Chemicals, Ltd. (SSCL), a subsidiary of the Sanmar Group.

InformexUSA, San Francisco (Feb. 14?16)-Several contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs) and technology providers used InformexUSA to announce plans to expand manufacturing capabilities, increase service offerings, and ramp up other investments.