Drug Development

Patricia Van Arnum was executive editor of Pharmaceutical Technology.

Articles

Albemarle Corporation signed an agreement with DSM Pharmaceutical Products to buy the assets and the fine chemistry services and pharma chemicals business associated with DSM's South Haven, Michigan facility.

DSM Sells Michigan Manufacturing Facility to Albemarle

I recently embarked on a quest: to investigate industry's use of the words, "generic" and "biosimilar" when describing a biologic molecule. An English major at heart, I was wrapped up in a news story that was partly about science, partly about words.

Uncertain Terms

The Product Quality Research Institute (PQRI) conducted an open, publicly available, electronic survey of current excipient-control strategies among pharmaceutical excipient manufacturers, excipient distributors, and drug-product manufacturers (excipient users). Among the major findings are:

PQRI Survey of Pharmaceutical Excipient Testing and Control Strategies Used by Excipient Manufacturers, Excipient Distributors, and Drug-Product Manufacturers

Potent-compound awareness training for operators is important to understand why the containment and controls are in place. 

Contract Manufacturing Organizations Expand in High-Potency Manufacturing

Washington, DC (Aug. 14)?A new report issued by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America identifies 418 drugs and vaccines developed through biotechnology. All of the biotechnology medicines and vaccines are now in clinical trials or awaiting approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (Rockville, MD).

PhRMA Reports Identifies More than 400 Biotech Drugs in Development

Novozymes (Bagsvaerd, Denmark) made an offer to acquire the the biotechnology company GropPep Ltd (Adelaide, Australia) for DKK 375 million ($65 million) to build its position in supplying ingredients to the biopharmaceutical industry. Novozymes is a major producer of enzymes, including biocatalysts used in pharmaceutical synthesis.

Novozymes Bids for Bioingredient Supplier GropPep

Combinatorial catalysis in asymmetric synthesis and asymmetric biaryl Suzuki coupling highlight recent advances in chiral chemistry. Plus the marriage of green and chiral chemistry.

Rolling Out Advances in Chiral Chemistry

Examples of genuine strategic partnership agreements between end users and vendors are relatively rare in custom synthesis.

Custom Synthesis and Custom Chemicals

Select large custom manufacturers expand capacity, private equity firms buy companies in transition, and players from India and China build their positions. 

Rising Players in Global Fine Chemicals

Jim Miller is president of PharmSource Information Services, Inc., and publisher of Bio/Pharmaceutical Outsourcing Report.

China is on the rise as a center for pharmaceutical R&D, but companies are still getting their footing for operating in China and the services industry has some maturing to do.

Ingredients