Drug Development

The Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates (SOCMA) expressed "strong concern" over legislation introduced in the US Senate earlier this month regarding chemical-site security.

Merck KGaA (Darmstadt, Germany), a global pharmaceutical and chemical company, completed its acquisition of Millipore (Billerica, MA), a life-science company, last Thursday for an aggregate purchase price of roughly EUR 5.2 billion ($6.7 billion).

The pharmaceutical industry?s increasing interest in inhaled drugs has prompted several researchers to propose standard dissolution-testing methods for these products.

Xcelience and Penn Form Joint Venture; Almac Appoints QA Director; And More.

The US House of Representatives passed on July 1, 2010, HR 4899, the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2010, which included provisions restricting patent settlements between innovator-drug and generic-drug companies, a move that drew criticism from both sectors of the pharmaceutical industry.

Eli Lilly to Acquire Alnara Pharmaceuticals; Exelixis CEO Leaves for Biogen Idec; And More.

Duke University researchers have found a possible alternative to lyophilization.

To continue innovating, the biopharmaceutical sector needs support from all levels.

Is now the time for multiparticulates to shine as a controlled-release solution?

Technical Note: The authors investigated the variables important for calcium-alginate formation as well as dissolution.

Excipient manufacturers expand their products, services, manufacturing capacity, and technology positions.

Reports of overlooked controls, dropped pallets, and misplaced documents leave a chill in the air.

After a spate of industrial disasters, the public seeks greater oversight of corporations-so does FDA.

Pfizer Suspends Tanezumab Program; Actavis Appoints CEO; And More.

Company and People Notes: Valeant and Biovail to Merge; GPhA Names Interim Director; And More.

GSK Acquires Laboratorios Phoenix; Catalent Makes Executive Appointments; And More.

Thermo Fisher to Acquire Fermentas; Pfizer Names Head of R&D; And More.

A timely new book explains techniques for conformational analysis.

Europe moves to place excipient GMP and GDP standards on the same level as active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Too much or too little control can actually lead to the same result.

Bayer to Open San Francisco Innovation Hub; Lonza Bioscience Names COO; And More.

Lonza Acquires MODA; Sigma-Aldrich Exec to Retire; And More.

The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) published its "Ten Principles on Counterfeit Medicines" last week to draw public attention to the issue.

Effective May 1, 2010, the US Pharmacopeia has revised its Pending Monographs Guideline to clarify that excipients are eligible for pending-monograph status and can ultimately be included in an official National Formulary (NF) monograph.