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

Thursday 27 May 2010

Alpha Biologics is adding R&D and process development labs in Cambridge, UK

Business Weekly

Codexis saw revenues grow 32% to $25.7m in Q1 2010 compared to 2009 and its losses for the quarter narrow to $1.4m from $6.1m last year

San Francisco Business Times

Jubilant Organosys has repaid $50m foreign currency convertible bonds

MyIris

AMRI cuts back in US

AMRI is closing its Rensselaer, NY, facility, with the loss of 50 jobs. A further 30 jobs will be lost at its other US facilities while the company plans to add 180 jobs in Asia as it invests $30m in its international facilities.
Albany Business Journal

Tuesday 25 May 2010

Biocon will manufacture Optimer Pharmaceuticals' fidaxomicin API

Optimer

Angel Biotechnology has won three further contracts with Materia Medica

Herald Scotland

Pfizer looks for buyers for Irish plants

Irish Times

Kemwell has doubled its pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity in Sweden

In-Pharma Technologist

Albemarle plans to increase revenues to $3bn in 2012

Business Week

Pfizer cuts eight manufacturing sites; cuts back at others

Pfizer plans to cease operations at eight plants in Ireland, Puerto Rico and the United States by late 2015 and reduce activities at six factories in those countries, plus Germany and Britain. The cuts will result in 6000 job losses.
Reuters

Consortium passes passes flu vax manufacturing test

A consortium led by Xcellerex has successfully demonstrated the production of purified swine flu H1 hemagglutinin (California strain) in 42 days starting from the amino acid sequence of the protein. The test results exceeded the goal for rate of production by at least 10 fold and exceeded all product quality specifications. The team, guided by BioPharm Services, combined Pfenex’s Pseudomonas fluorescens-based rapid strain engineering platform with Xcellerex’s microbial high speed process development and single-use manufacturing technologies and deltaDOT’s label free CE-based analytical technology.
In-Pharma Technologist

Cambrex's Charles City, Iowa, API manufacturing facility successfully completed an FDA GMP inspection in March

Cambrex

Wednesday 5 May 2010

DSM Biologics has successfully scaled up of its yield-boosting XD technology from 2L to 50L using a CHO cell line, with 5-10 fold titer increases

PR Newswire

American Peptide expands peptide production capacity

American Peptide has expanded its Vista, California cGMP peptide production facility. The large-scale facility expansion includes four new peptide purification suites. The company will also add two new synthesis suites and multi-kg lyophilisation capacity.
In-Pharma Technologist

BioUetikon adds capacity

BioUetikon has installed a single use bioreactor train with 50L, 250L and 1000L capacity tanks. The train also includes complimentary scale GMP buffer and media preparation.
BioUetikon

Cambrex Q1 sales decline

Cambrex's first quarter 2010 sales declined 6.4%, compared to 2009, to $56.2m. Cambrex said the decrease is primarily due to the timing of orders for two APIs manufactured under long-term supply agreements, a customer supply chain disruption for an API manufactured under a long-term supply agreement, and a feed additive for which a contract expired. Additionally, Cambrex said lower pricing of certain generic APIs and a product utilising its drug delivery technology also contributed to the decrease.
Cambrex

Tuesday 4 May 2010

DSM Biologics has acquired the Rhobust separation technology from Upfront Chromatograpy for use in pharmaceutical applications

PR Newswire

Syngenta is investing some €50m to expand Saltigo's capacity for crop protection agents in Leverkusen, Germany

Saltigo

SynCo Bio Partners will manufacture two additional antibodies for clinical trials for OncoMed Pharmaceuticals

PR Newswire

DSM to build Australian biopharma plant

The Queensland and Australian governments will fund Australia's first biopharmaceutical contract manufacturing facility in Brisbane. The 7000m3 facility to be built and operated by DSM will provide mammalian process development and cGMP clinical and commercial manufacturing services. The new facility is anticipated to be commissioned and operational in 2013.
In-Pharma Technologist

BPTF introduces API quality agreement

Socma's Bulk Pharmaceuticals Task Force (BPTF) has developed a template to help manufacturers and customers standardise API quality agreements and comply with US regulatory requirements.
Socma