Industry Briefs: March 4, 2013
A roundup of additional company and people news from pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies, their suppliers, and contract-service providers.
Company News
BioLamina and Roche have formed an R&D agreement to jointly develop new cell culture systems for various applications, including stem cell research. The collaboration will focus on assessing laminin-based in vitro cell culture matrices offering highly physiological microenvironments for living cells. Under the terms of the agreement Roche will provide R&D funding and scientific expertise to BioLamina. Financial details were not disclosed. Read More
DBV Technologies, a new standard in the treatment of allergies, announced today that it entered into a strategic manufacturing agreement with Sanofi to produce Viaskin’s API, such as peanut protein extract. Per the agreement, Sanofi will act as DBV’s CMO. In this context, Sanofi will scale-up and validate the production process of Viaskin’s API and full supply at commercial scale. Read More
FDA expanded the approved use of Stivarga (regorafenib) to treat patients with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) that cannot be surgically removed and no longer respond to other FDA-approved treatments for this disease. Read More
Phenomenex has launched a redesigned website, featuring industry-specific gateways function as complete digital consultants, helping users find answers by providing customized content and newsletters along with product selection and method development tools. Read More
Franz B. Humer, chairman of the board of directors of the Roche Group, announced at the company’s Mar. 5, 2013, annual general meeting that he will not stand for re-election to the Board in 2014. The company will nominate a successor for the chairmanship in autumn 2013. The Roche board has decided that Humer’s successor will also serve as nonexecutive chairman, thus maintaining the established separation of the offices of chairman and CEO. Read More
Drug Solutions Podcast: A Closer Look at mRNA in Oncology and Vaccines
April 30th 2024In this episode fo the Drug Solutions Podcast, etherna’s vice-president of Technology and Innovation, Stefaan De Koker, discusses the merits and challenges of using mRNA as the foundation for therapeutics in oncology as well as for vaccines.
Understanding the Variability in Bioburden Test Results in Biomanufacturing
May 7th 2025This article explores the impact of test volume, microbial distribution, and dilution errors on bioburden testing variability. It presents statistical approaches to estimate percentage error and discusses strategies to optimize microbial enumeration techniques in biopharmaceutical quality control.
Drug Solutions Podcast: Gliding Through the Ins and Outs of the Pharma Supply Chain
November 14th 2023In this episode of the Drug Solutions podcast, Jill Murphy, former editor, speaks with Bourji Mourad, partnership director at ThermoSafe, about the supply chain in the pharmaceutical industry, specifically related to packaging, pharma air freight, and the pressure on suppliers with post-COVID-19 changes on delivery.
Intertek to Expand UK GMP Facility with 6000 Square Feet of Lab and Office Space
May 7th 2025The company said the expansion is in response to globally rising demand for inhaled biologics, which offer distinct advantages in route of administration, but can be challenging products for developers.
