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

Monday 29 March 2010

Ampac confirms manufacturing deal with Codexis

Ampac Fine Chemicals will use Codexis' proprietary biocatalysis technology to develop lower cost, more efficient and lower environmental impact processes for pharmaceutical intermediates and APIs.
PR Newswire

Aptuit has denied it is to sell its stake in Aptuit Laurus to Lonza

Reuters

Lonza will end its sodium gamma hydroxybutyrate manufacturing deal with Jazz Pharma

Reuters

Lonza cuts jobs in Visp

Lonza continues to announce measures to meet the cutbacks announced last year. The company plans to cut fixed costs in Basel and Visp by CHF40m over the next 18 months, which will include 193 jobs at Visp.
Lonza

Wednesday 24 March 2010

Rumour: Lonza to acquire 51% stake in Aptuit Laurus

Business Standard

Eden Biodesign will offer Millipore's UCOE expression technology to clients for mammalian cell line development projects and cGMP production

Eden Biodesign

The Bangladesh Pharmaceuticals Society has called for companies to upgrade facilities to access global contract manufacturing market

Financial Express

Borgas rebrands fine chemicals

Speaking at the Socma dinner in New York, Lonza CEO, Stefan Borgas, said that the industry needed to consider itself the "fine molecules" sector as the products it makes are no longer just chemicals. He said the future of the industry lay in companies reinventing their current business models and taking a more collaborative approach to innovation.
Icis

Cambrex has acquired biocatalyst producer IEP

Cambrex

Hovione's Cork, Ireland, plant has been inspected by the Irish Medicines Board for its EU GMP Certificate and IMP Licence

Hovione

Wednesday 17 March 2010

Prosonix has launched its UMAX technology for the production of crystalline, excipient free, highly performing, stable drug particles

Prosonix

Successful audits for Jubilant facilities

Jubilant Organosys' Hollister-Stier's Spokane, WA, facility completed a successful audit by the Japanese Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Agency (PMDA) and its Draxis Pharma Montreal, Canada, facility completed a successful audit by the US FDA and Health Canada.
Hollister-Stier

UKTI and Chemspec Europe

UKTI and Chemspec Europe
UK Trade & Investment is co-ordinating a UK pavillion at Chemspec Europe in June. Grants are available to potential exhibiters. Contact Tricia Francis for more details.

Sunday 14 March 2010

AutekBio to establish Chinese biologics facility

AutekBio, SUMA Ventures and Beijing E-Town Harvest International Capital Management Corporation will jointly invest $100m to develop a new biopharmaceutical contract manufacturing organisation in China. The joint venture will build an R&D and manufacturing center in southern Beijing with up to 20,000L capacity in multiple trains.
Business Wire

Partnership offers CMC services

Cambridge Major Laboratories has teamed up with Avantium Pharma, Xcelience and Beckloff Associates to offer an expedited CMC solutions program designed to accelerate drug development. The service is available to companies ranging from small biotechs to big pharma.
Fierce Pharma Manufacturing

Lonza will offer Odyssey Thera's Protein-fragment Complementation Assay (PCA) technology to customers and has taken a stake in Odyssey

Odyssey Thera

Wacker refocusses pharma-facing activities; opens biologics plant

Wacker Chemie has restructured its biotech and fine-chemical segment. The Wacker Biosolutions division, formerly known as Wacker Fine Chemicals, will focus on services for the food, pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals sectors alongside its existing portfolio of fine chemicals and chemical intermediates. Additionally, Wacker has opened a new €18m GMP-certified biologics facility in Jena, Germany, to enable the company to accommodate its customers’ rapidly growing demand for biotechnologically manufactured pharmaceuticals.
Wacker
In-Pharma Technologist

Aurobindo company launches CRAMS subsidiary

Indian pharmaceutical company Aurobindo Pharma has launched a subsidiary to provide CRAMS services. AuroSource will partner with global large, mid-sized and emerging biotech and pharmaceutical companies.
In-Pharma Technologist

Tuesday 2 March 2010

Dishman's Shanghai facility delayed

Dishman Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Shanghai, China, facility has been further delayed by a couple of months. VVS Murthy, chief financial officer, expects the facility to start functioning from the second half of 2010, maybe August-September 2010. Dishman has invested $10m in the project.
DNA India

AMRI is suing a consultant for $5m alleging he shared information with competitor, ScinoPharm Taiwan

Albany Business Review

SAFC expects to begin manufacturing at its new Verona, WI, facility in April

Wisconsin State Journal