Outsourcing

Recent deals suggest companies are willing to pay up to get into CMC services.

Facing still-sluggish market conditions and a changing world order in fine chemicals, the large Western custom manufacturers are responding by building their toolboxes in specialized technologies in chiral chemistry, catalysis, and biosciences and by adjusting their manufacturing networks via streamlining or investment in Asia.

Pharmaceutical companies are seeing the development process in a new way, and that has major implications for service providers.

Cambrex Reports Loss; Advances Biosciences Business

CMOs face market realities and exit some businesses.

Latin America has become a promising region for the pharmaceutical industry in terms of both R&D and sales. Nowhere has this been more apparent than in Mexico, which has become a top priority market for many of the major multinational pharmaceutical companies. Furthermore, the Mexican government is increasing its investment in healthcare resources and there is a strong, growing demand from the population for access to newer and better medical treatments.

Is the lack of finance necessarily spelling doom for the European biotech industry?

The big question for pharmaceutical services providers coming into 2006 is: will the good times continue to roll?

CROs and CMOs are pursuing new strategies to win a larger share of the burgeoning early development pipeline.

OTC Eye-Drop Maker Signs Consent Decree

Pfizer to Shut Parsippany Plant

Contract services providers gained a valuable look into major market conditions, offshoring trends, and 2006 growth opportunities during a morning presentation entitled "CMC Sourcing in transition: Consolidation, Offshoring, and the Market Outlook," presented by Jim Miller. Miller is president of PharmSource (Springfield, VA, www.pharmsource.com), publisher of the Bio/Pharmaceutical Outsourcing , and contributing editor of Pharmaceutical Technology.

Roche Puts Hold on Tamiflu in US

Novartis Purchases Chiron in a Total Buyout

As major pharmaceutical companies take initial steps to prune their supplier base and negotiate better pricing, nonpharmaceutical companies that took those measures 10 years ago are moving to next-generation sourcing strategies. In designing those plans, these front-runners are applying two key lessons learned in recent years: supplier consolidation often doesn't go far enough, whereas price cutting can go too far.

Patheon, CEPH Begin Corrective Action Program for Omnicef OP

Growth is critical to a strong company, and not only because it generates economies of scale.

A CMO in Singapore manufacturing commercial biopharmaceuticals is the result of a partnership between two biopharmaceutical companies.

A summertime burst of acquisition activity in CMC development services prompts the question: a coincidence of timing or the start of a trend?

Contract manufacturers serving the biopharmaceutical market add capacity in a bet on renewed growth for biomanufacturing.

The pharmaceutical outsourcing industry is well into its second year of very strong growth, and indications appear that it will enjoy a healthy third year as well.

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

By forming strategic collaborative partnerships with contract research organizations, pharmaceutical companies can take advantage of several strategies for accelerating drug development, maximizing profitability, and extending patent exclusivity.

New maintenance models focused on efficiency improvements can deliver cost savings and enhanced service quality.

2005 has been a good year for the contract services industry, and 2006 promises to be nearly as successful, according to the 2005 PharmSource–Pharmaceutical Technology outsourcing survey. But as pharmaceutical outsourcing activity grows, companies are looking for more sophisticated ways to manage and control their contract services expenditures.

Protein Refolding Technology Improves Yields

Xanodyne Acquires aaiPharma Assets

Singapore is competing aggressively with India and China for a piece of the Asian sourcing business.

The Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing of aaiPharma (Wilmington, NC, www.aaipharma.com), parent of AAI Development Services, was the culmination of an agonizing year-long odyssey. It also was a first step in restoring one of the best-known brands in the CRO industry.

Compounding Pharmacies' Lawsuit Against FDA Will Continue