Manufacturing

Featured products from this issue of Equipment & Processing Report

Baxter Healthcare Corporation is providing an update to its January 2008 heparin sodium injection 1000 units/mL 10 and 30mL multi-dose vial voluntary recall of nine lots, which the company initiated as a precautionary measure due to an increase in reports of adverse reactions that may be associated with the drug.

Scientists at The Wistar Institute are taking further steps into understanding a gene regulator that can lead them closer to developing new cancer therapies.

Chesapeake to relocate and expand, AVI BioPharma appoints CEO, More...

Nektar Therapeutics eliminated approximately 150 positions as part of a restructuring program designed to help the company complete its transition from a drug-delivery service provider to a drug-development organization.

Amira and GSK Form Agreement, Xenome Appoints Ian Nisbet CEO, More...

Amgen will partner with R&D firm Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd. toward the development and commercialization of 13 of Amgen?s molecules, with one included as an option.

The US Food and Drug Administration posted on its website a Jan. 24 Warning Letter to Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics.

Contract manufacturers expand capabilities in aseptic processing, clinical-trial materials supply, and cytotoxic manufacturing.

FDA is modernizing and streamlining current good manufacturing practices. The author examines FDA's evolving approach to quality systems and how a manufacturer can implement a quality system framework.

The rise in overseas manufacturing undermines FDA oversight of drug quality.

PharmTech's polls feature user feedback on issues facing the pharmaceutical industry.

Brief pharmaceutical news items for February 2008.

A news roundup for February 2008.

The author suggests a route for nanotechnology's future in the pharmaceutical industry.

Can an overload of patent applications lead to the US' demise as a scientific leader?

An updated book summarizes recent research for formulators and drug-delivery specialists.

If at first the product fails, then inspect, inspect again

Jacketed hose provides cleanability; Stopper prevents product waste; Accessories control temperature precisely

Text sirtuins are the new kinases, according to a presentation given last month at the JP Healthcare Investors Conference in San Francisco by Sirtis CEO Christoph Westphal.

The US Food and Drug Administration has issued a not approvable letter to Merck & Co. in regards to their request for over-the-counter use of "Mevacor" (lovastatin) 20 mg.

Members of Congress have strongly urged the US Food and Drug Administration to reconsider its proposed rule to amend regulations permitting companies to promptly update their drug and device labels with new safety information.

Codexis Opens Budapest Lab, Allos Names Bruce K. Bennett VP of Manufacturing, More...

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is investigating Schering-Plough (Kenilworth, NJ) and Merck & Co. (Whitehouse Station, NJ), according to a Reuters report.

As part of a major project to design and build a new bulk vaccine antigen plant, the authors were asked to investigate and implement a suitable fumigation system for clean room decontamination. The facility was designed to handle and contain live influenza virus, and has clean room suites designed to containment levels CL2 and CL3 according to the Approved Code Of Practice and Guidance (ACOP, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health 4th Edition). From the outset, specific areas within the facility were identified as requiring fumigation and this formed part of the initial design brief.

Deciding where in the world to locate a new plant is a key decision for any pharma or biotech company - and there has never been more choice. Europe and the US now compete with the Far East and India, and what about the new EU states? Might Lithuania or Estonia turn out to offer advantages compared with France or Germany when it comes to finding the best place to take a new drug forward to the market place?

Robotization of end-of-line packaging systems enables manufacturers to maintain high production rates while accommodating flexible and varied product packaging requirements.

We are currently experiencing a problem with one of our tablet lines. While the tablets appear white immediately after manufacture, after a time many of the tablets begin to take on a yellowish appearance. Could this be an issue that surface analysis could help resolve?

In light of the rising price of stainless steel components and facility construction, pharmaceutical companies are increasingly using disposable components and systems in their manufacturing processes.