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

Thursday 26 November 2009

Johnson Matthey's fine chemicals business saw a 22% rise in sales in its H1

InvestEgate

The UK's EPSRC and BBSRC research councils will invest £9m in bioprocessing research with support from industry

BBSRC

Lonza will provide process development and manufacture for Micromet’s blinatumomab

Reuters

AZ to out source all API manufacturing

AstraZeneca plans to outsource 100% of its API manufacturing within seven years, it told analysts at a recent briefing. The company currently outsources about 80% of its API manufacturing with three preferred suppliers in Europe and suppliers in India. The additional outsourcing is expected to come from India where the cost base is lower, said Executive Vice President for Operations, David Smith, although the company expects to introduce greater quality control and supplier audits.
AstraZeneca

Angel Biotechnology has arranged a £4m financing facility with Trafalgar Capital Advisors

Angel Bio

Tuesday 17 November 2009

Agencies failing to monitor API quality

Guy Villax, board member of the European Fine Chemicals Group, has once again raised the subject of API quality. Speaking at the AAPS meeting earlier this month Villax said that enforcement of API quality is in "disarray" and that regulatory agencies were failing to properly police the supply chain.
In-Pharma Technologist

Evonik sees 16% rise in chemicals earnings as sales fall

ICIS

Tuesday 10 November 2009

Synthetech reports 22% revenue growth in the quarter ended 30 September

Portland Business Journal

Reaxa has received £146,000 from the UK NorthWest Development Agency to further develop its Nickel EnCat catalysts

Reaxa

Hovione will move most of its manufactuiring to China from Europe in the medium term, according to company CEO, Guy Villax

Macau Hub

Jubilant to expand, sell

Jubilant Organosys plans to spend $54m on capacity expansion plans in the current year. Most of the money will be spent on debottlenecking and a small amount on R&D. In addition the company expects to have sold its performance polymers business by end March 2010.
Business Standard
Reuters

Sunday 8 November 2009

Althea Technologies has added customised formulation development to biopharmaceutical services

Althea

DSM Pharmaceutical Products will provide process development, scale up and commercial scale manufacturing for Galenix's drug delivery technologies

DSM

Lonza will manufacture ProChon Biotech's fibroblast growth factor at its Hopkinton, MA, facility

Lonza

Carbogen Amcis restructures

Carbogen Amcis plans to restructure its Swiss operations. Early phase services will be consolidated at the company's Aarau site, while the Hunzenschwil site will focus on new technologies, such as micro-reactors and crystallisation. Late phase and high potency services at the Bubendorf facility, will be expanded, due to increased market demand. The changes would result in the loss of up to 40 positions.
Carbogen Amcis has seen a significant increase in the number and rate of progress associated with later phase projects, but there has been a substantial decline in the number of early phase projects being generated.
Dishman Pharma, Carbogen Amcis' parent company saw 2Q revenue decrease 12% mainly due to a disappointing quarter at Carbogen Amcis.
Carbogen Amcis
Money Control

Cambrex sees 3Q sales rise

Cambrex 3Q sales rose 2.3% to $57.8m. The company said the rise was primarily due to higher volumes of an API that utilises its polymeric drug delivery technology but was partially offset by lower sales of two APIs manufactured under long-term supply agreements.
Cambrex

Lonza has acquired Algonomics NV to add integrated immunogenicity prediction services for the development of biotherapeutics

Lonza

3Q sales in DSM's Pharma business unit decreased 25% on weak demand, delay in approvals and loss of some contracts

DSM