NEWS AND VIEWS FROM THE PHARMACEUTICAL FINE CHEMICAL AND CUSTOM MANUFACTURING SECTOR

Tuesday 23 June 2009

EFCG and AIME introduce manufacturing guidelines

Cefic's European Fine Chemicals Group (EFCG) and the Agrochemical & Intermediates Manufacturers in Europe (AIME) have launched a set of voluntary guidelines for manufacturers in the non-GMP, ISO-regulated fine chemicals industry. The guidelines set out minimum requirements to help promote the highest level of risk management in the manufacturing of non-GMP intermediates, active ingredients and end products.
EFCG

OctoPlus has started production in its new GMP manufacturing facility in Leiden, the Netherlands

OctoPlus

Nick Green has been appointed as president of Dishman Contract Research and Manufacturing Services

Economic Times

AMRI has completed construction of its chemistry R&D facility in Budapest, Hungary

AMRI

Monday 22 June 2009

Helsinn plans Swiss expansion; completes Irish sale

Helsinn is planning to expand its development and manufacturing facilities at its Biasca, Switzerland, site. The expansion will build on the €5m investment in recent years. In addition, Helsinn has sold its Mulhuddart, Ireland facility to Milan, Italy, based Medinco C.F.M. Group.
InvestEgate

Sunday 21 June 2009

Socma has joined the RX-360 drug supply chain security and quality consortium

Socma

Biologics to dominate pharma sales by 2014

Six of the 10 top selling drugs will be biologics by 2014, demonstrating the increasing dominance of biologic products, especially those for cancer treatment says EvaluatePharma. In 2000 only one of the top 10 was a biologic product.
EvaluatePharma

Eden Biodesign and Selexis will jointly jointly offer their complementary biologics manufacturing services

Eden Biodesign

European Commission reverses plan to introduce GMP for excipients

PharmaFocus

Monday 15 June 2009

Excelsyn ceo Ian Shott awarded CBE for services to chemical engineering

The Chemical Engineer

BioOutsource will provide bio-safety testing Angel Biotechnology

InvestEgate

Boehringer and Kemwell collaborate on Indian biologics facility

Boehringer Ingelheim is working with Kemwell Pharma on a new biologics custom manufacturing facility in Bangalore, India. Boehringer will provide process technology and its BI-HEX expression system.
In-Pharma Technologist

US Senate passes Bill to give FDA control of tobacco regulation

Wall Street Journal

Thursday 11 June 2009

Angel reduces losses, sees positive future

Angel Biotechnology reported a pre-tax loss of almost £1.1m in 2008 as revenues rose 8% to £952,926. The company sees better prospects for 2009 and 2010 as it has recently signed three major contracts, with a value of £2.2m and its prospective new business pipeline is the best it has seen to date.
RTT News

Monday 8 June 2009

Synthetech reports boost in earnings, gloomy outlook

Synthetech saw its earnings rise from $113,000 to $657,000 in its fourth quarter. However the company said the biopharmaceuticals market is showing some weakness, the difficult financing environment could impair drug development projects and that some major pharmaceutical companies are reducing their outsourcing expenses.
Portland Business Journal

Corden PharmaChem to close Cork facility

Corden PharmaChem is to close its Little Island, Cork, Ireland, facility later this year. The company has blamed the current API market conditions, limited potential for the development and commercialisation of new products, the scale of the plant and the significant capital investment necessary for it.
Irish Examiner

Cambrex regains compliance with NYSE listing requirements

Cambrex

Johnson Matthey sees fine chemicals growth

In its year ended 31 March Johnson Matthey saw sales for its Fine Chemicals and Catalysts division grow 15% mostly due to favourable exchange rates. The division's Fine Chemicals businesses, Macfarlan Smith, Pharmaceutical Materials and Services and Research Chemicals which will report as a separate unit next year, contributed £220 (36%) of the division's revenue and 68% of the operating profit. Matthey reported that sales of some products were strong, but manufacturing costs, particularly the cost of energy, rose and that revenue from contract research was adversely affected by the lack of venture capital funding for a number of our smaller customers.
Manufacturing Chemist

Johnson Matthey receives grant for CHP installation at New Jersey facility

Globe St

Dishman expects is Chinese operation to start production in August

DNA India

Tuesday 2 June 2009

Strem Chemicals has received ChemStewards certification from SOCMA

Strem

SAFC Pharma's St Louis HPAPI conjugates facility receives SafeBridge certification

SAFC

SAFC in supply chain deal with Cherokee

Cherokee Pharmaceuticals will provide analytical testing, storage, packaging and distribution services for raw materials sourced by SAFC as part of a partnership agreement. The partnership will combine SAFC's global sourcing and production capabilities and with Cherokee's analytical laboratories, large-scale cGMP manufacturing, warehousing and distribution facilities.
In-Pharma Technologist

IDT Biologika has established an office in Virginia to serve US customers

Manufacturing Chemist

Lonza negotiating Genome Valley agreement

Further to previous reports Lonza said it is currently negotiating with the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Ltd for the acquisition or lease of 30 acres of land in Genome Valley. Lonza plans to establish an R&D and manufacturing facility on the site.
Lonza