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Podcasts

Webcast: SGS Series Part 3: What's New in Pharmaceutical Laboratory Testing Requirements? Focus on: Melamine and Contamination Challenges
June 29, 2010

Webcast: Building Quality into the Selection and Sourcing of Pharma Ingredients Strategies - from research through commercial manufacture
August 19
Sponsored by Spectrum Chemical

Webcast: SGS Series Part 1: What's New in Pharmaceutical Laboratory Testing Requirements? Focus on: Heavy Metals
On-Demand

Webcast: SGS Series Part 2: What's New in Pharmaceutical Laboratory Testing Requirements? Focus on: Extractables and Leachables June 22, 2010
On-Demand

Webcast: What Early Stage Companies Need to Know About Quality Management: Lessons Learned from Industry Leaders
On-Demand

Webcast: The Impact of Harmonizing Microbial Testing
On-Demand

Sponsored By Celsis

Webcast: Protect IP and Reduce the "Sign and Witness" Burden in Lab Informatics Systems
On-Demand
Sponsored by Surety

Webcast: Complex Documents in the Pharmaceutical Industry Made Easy
On-Demand
Sponsored by SCHEMA and JustSystems

Podcast: Freeman Technology’s Tim Freeman on Powder Dynamics and QbD

Podcast: Leveling the Playing Field for Excipients. A four-part podcast roundtable series moderated by Pharmaceutical Technology.

Podcast: Vetter’s Peter Soelkner discusses the expansion of Vetter Development Service (VDS).

Podcast: Pfizer’s Maddaluna on Integrating Wyeth’s Manufacturing Organization

Events

37th Annual Meeting & Exposition of the Controlled Release Society
July 10–14
Portland, OR

Bioanalytical Method Development and Validation
July 13–14
Ontario, Canada

Pharmaceutical Tablet Technology
August 9–11
St. Charles, MO

ImVacS
August 17–18
Cambridge, MA

CPhI South America
August 17–19
Buenos Aires

2010 PDA/FDA Joint Regulatory Conference
Sept. 13–16
Washington, DC

DigiPharm Europe 2010
Sept. 28–Oct. 1
London

More events


FindPharma Search
June 24, 2010 PharmTech.com

News

FDA to Revise Current GMPs for Component Controls
The US Food and Drug Administration announced plans to revise the current good manufacturing practice regulations.
Click Here to Read More

EFPIA Calls for New Dialogue on Medicines
A new dialogue between governments and the pharmaceutical industry is being called for by Andrew Witty, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline and President of EFPIA. Click Here to Read More

USITC Considers Tariff Relief for Pharmaceutical Products
The US International Trade Commission is initiating a review of more than 700 pharmaceutical products and chemical intermediates to be considered for duty elimination.Click Here to Read More

Globalization and Regulations Are Top Industry Concerns
Healthcare companies are eager to do business in emerging markets, but believe the initiative poses challenges, according to a UPS survey. Click Here to Read More

Pharma Competes to Improve Medicines Access in Developing Countries
European pharmaceutical companies are outdoing their US counterparts when it comes to making medicines available to developing countries, according to the Access to Medicine Index, which analyzes and ranks the access to medicine efforts of the world’s largest pharma companies. Click Here to Read More


Product Spotlight

Tablet press offers flexibility
The S250 Smart automated tablet press from IMA (Bologna) was designed to provide flexibility and ease of operation. Operators can lift the device’s upper machine head to facilitate turret removal. Using three tools, personnel can remove the turret quickly, swing it out, and position it on a trolley. By lifting the upper machine head, operators also can reach the inside of the press easily, which helps to shorten cleaning time.

The S250 Smart automated tablet press has a maximum production speed of 300,000 tablets/h. One available model of the machine meets pharmaceutical standards such as 21 CFR 11. The model regulates tablet weight by taking measurements and providing feedback. The device’s electric components are included in the machine housing, thus giving the unit a compact design. Personnel operate the press through a touch-screen control. The device’s software was designed to be self-explanatory.


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Company Notes

Bayer Schering Pharma (Berlin) and OncoMed Pharmaceuticals (Redwood City, CA) agreed to discover, develop, and commercialize anticancer stem-cell therapeutics targeting the Wnt signaling pathway. OncoMed is eligible to receive an upfront payment of $40 million and milestone payments of up to $387.5 million for each biotherapeutic drug program and $112 million for each small-molecule drug program.

Diamyd Medical (Stockholm, Sweden) signed an agreement with Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, (OMJPI, Raritan, NJ), a Johnson & Johnson company, to develop and commercialize the Diamyd diabetes therapy, a GAD65 antigen-based therapy for the treatment and prevention of Type 1 diabetes and associated conditions. OMJPI will make an upfront payment of $45 million and up to $580 million in milestone payments, as well as tiered royalties on future sales. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2010.

The biotechnology company Exelixis (South San Francisco, CA) regained full rights to develop and commercialize its oncology compound XL184. Exelixis and Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS, New York) entered into a global development collaboration for XL184 in December 2008. BMS will make a payment to Exelixis of $17 million in connection with the return of XL184.

Metabolex (Hayward, CA) entered into a development and license agreement with Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals (OMJPI, Raritan, NJ) focused on compounds for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes and other disorders. Under the agreement, OMJPI will receive an exclusive worldwide license to develop, manufacture, and commercialize several Metabolex programs that are currently at the preclinical stage. Metabolex is eligible to receive an upfront payment, milestone payments of up to $330 million, and royalties on sales.

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After discussions with The US Food and Drug Administration, Pfizer (New York) plans to voluntarily withdraw its new drug application and discontinue commercial availability of Mylotarg (gemtuzumab ozogamicin for Injection), effective Oct. 15, 2010. The drug is used for the treatment of relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The required post-approval study combining chemotherapy and Mylotarg did not demonstrate improved survival compared with chemotherapy alone in patients with previously untreated AML.

Regulus Therapeutics (Carlsbad, CA) and sanofi-aventis (Paris) formed a drug-development pact focused on microRNA therapeutics and their use to treat fibrosis. The deal is valued at potentially over $750 million, which includes a $25-million upfront fee, a $10-million future equity investment subject to mutual agreement on company valuation, and annual research support for three years with the option to extend the research support for two additional years. The companies will collaborate on up to four microRNA targets, including Regulus’s lead fibrosis program targeting microRNA-21. 

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Ricerca Biosciences (Concord, OH), a contract research organization, reported that its facility in Lyon, France, recently obtained the ISO 9001:2008 certification for all activities performed at the site.

SCHOTT Pharmaceutical Packaging (Lebanon, PA), a division of SCHOTT North America, announced that its Lebanon, Pennsylvania, facility completed facility and equipment validations of its syringe-production line. The company also announced the product validation for its first ready-to-fill syringe customer, with several others in process.

Advertisement:
Expansion of Vetter Development Service (VDS)
The North American market is critical to Vetter’s strategic global growth as nearly half of its client base is already located here. In order to maximize on this opportunity, Vetter has decided to create a facility, its first outside of Germany, at the Illinois Science + Technology Park in suburban Chicago. The facility, which focuses on preclinical to phase II clinical batch projects, is an expansion of Vetter Development Service. With significant progress already having been made, the facility is scheduled to be operational by beginning of the fourth quarter 2010.

Click here for more information.

Specialty pharmaceutical companies Valeant (Aliso Viejo, CA) and Biovail (Toronto) agreed to a merger. The merger, unanimously approved by both boards of directors, would create a combined company known as Valeant Pharmaceuticals International. The new company will focus on four areas: specialty central nervous system, dermatology, Canada, and emerging markets/branded generic drugs.

Do you have news to report on facility expansions, contracts, service agreements, mergers, acquisitions, or personnel appointments? Send press releases to ptpress@advanstar.com

PharmTech Talk blog
People Notes

Bausch + Lomb (Rochester, NY), a global eye-health company, appointed Rodney W. Unsworth president of Asia-Pacific, effective July 1, 2010. Unsworth previously served as president of Asia-Pacific, for Schering-Plough from 2004 until its merger with Merck (Whitehouse Station, NJ) in 2009.

DPT Laboratories (San Antonio, TX), a contract development and manufacturing organization, promoted JJ Feik to senior director of business development. Feik previously held the positions of director of marketing and corporate development as well as business-development manager at DPT.

Eisai Inc. (Woodcliff Lake, NJ), a US subsidiary of Eisai Co., Ltd. (Tokyo) appointed Lonnel Coats president and CEO of Eisai Inc. Coats previously held the position of president and chief operating officer. In addition, Coats was appointed senior vice-president of the pharmaceuticals business in the US at Eisai Co. Ltd., where he will be responsible for leading Eisai's Global Medical and Marketing division.

The Generic Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA) named Bob Billings its interim executive director, effective July 1, 2010. Gordon Johnston and Bill Head will also serve on the leadership team, reporting directly to the executive committee. Current CEO and president Kathleen Jaeger will be a senior advisor to GPhA through the end of the year.

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Gentris (Morrisville, NC), a developer of applied clinical pharmacogenomics, appointed Rick Williams CEO and a member of the board of directors.

MonoSol Rx (Warren, NJ), a specialty pharmaceutical company, appointed Eric Dadey senior vice-president of pharmaceutical development and Mary Ellen Norvitch to the newly created position of vice-president of regulatory affairs, clinical affairs, and quality assurance. Dadey and Norvitch will report to A. Mark Schobel, the company's president and CEO.

Spencer Pharmaceutical (Boston) appointed Max Arella president and chairman of the company. Spencer focuses on drug-release and absorption systems for the treatment of metabolic diseases such as diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

PharmTech, the magazine
Current Issue cover
Excipients Step into the Spotlight
By Angie Drakulich
Industry and regulatory experts discuss excipient testing, regulatory expectations, supply-chain challenges, and pricing in this Speakers Roundtable. This article contains bonus online material and podcasts.
Click Here to Read More

Coming Soon: Controlled release is the topic featured in the cover story of Pharmaceutical Technology’s July issue.

 

PharmTech Poll

Biosimilars: Threat or Opportunity?
If your company was considering/is developing a biosimilar product, what would be your biggest concern?

Vote here
View the poll archive.

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