European Pharmaceutical Manufacturer - Latest News

Stirred Reactor for DURAN GL 45 Bottles Launched

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Following the successful introduction of the stirred reactor for DURAN GLS 80 laboratory glass bottles last year, this year at Analytica, the DURAN Group is introducing a new version for its GL 45 bottles. Both DURAN stirred reactors have a clear advantage in comparison with existing magnetic stir bars because their larger stirring blades ensure better through-mixing. Not only that, there is no rubbing between the bottom of the bottle and the stirring unit. The stirrer is securely mounted in the centre, the drive is provided by a conventional magnetic stirrer. Operation at different viscosities is possible. The new reactor is compatible with the proven DURAN GL 45 connection system. The insertion of hoses (diameter 1.6 mm to 6.0 mm) through the ports enables the supply and removal of media during the mixing process. Use of suitable accessories enables sterile pressure compensation (0.2 µm). Unused ports can be closed with a blind cap. The new stirred reactor is offered as a set with the 500 ml or 1,000 ml GL 45 laboratory glass bottle. Individual and spare parts can also be ordered separately. The entire system is autoclavable and all medium-contacting materials fulfil FDA directives. Due to their properties, DURAN stirred reactors offer high flexibility and can be used in a wide range of laboratory mixing processes. You can find out more about the expanding DURAN stirred reactor family at the Analytica trade fair Booth B1 203/304.

Positive Interim Results for ILMAC 2010

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Staged by MCH Swiss Exhibition for the 18th time, the next ILMAC takes place on 21st-24th September 2010, at Messe Basel. Over four days, the entire range of products and services relating to R&D, production and environmental technology will be on display. ILMAC takes place every three years and, with 15,000 visitors and more than 550 exhibitors over an area of 36,000 m², is reportedly Switzerland's most important exhibition for all manufacturers and suppliers to the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. The interim results are looking positive, as around 300 exhibitors have already registered. With its high concentration of pharmaceutical and chemical companies and its proximity to rapidly developing biotech regions in Switzerland, Germany and France, Basel is the ideal location for ILMAC. Suppliers of equipment, apparatus and machinery for laboratories, analysis, biotechnology, IT, engineering, environmental and process technology will have direct access to customers from the pharmaceutical, chemical, biotechnology, food, drinks, cosmetics and environmental engineering industries. For the first time, manufacturers and suppliers that specialise in processing to produce dosage forms and pharmaceutical packaging for shipment have the opportunity to exhibit at ILMAC. Galenic formulation and pharmaceutical packaging form independent areas within the exhibition. These two areas represent the final processes in the production of pharmaceutical products. As a result of their inclusion in ILMAC, the exhibition covers the entire process chain from end to end. Endress+Hauser — one of the leading suppliers of industrial measurement equipment, providing services and solutions for industrial processes all over the world — is supporting ILMAC 2010 as its official presenting partner.

Cleanliness in a Cleanroom

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

It is a known fact that a particle smaller than a human hair can disrupt cleanliness in a cleanroom, illustrating how essential thorough cleaning is to avoid contamination. If a cleanroom becomes contaminated it can result in a loss of product quality for the end user as well as leading to expensive downtime and increased production costs. Cleanroom wipes are a useful way of keeping a cleanroom clean. It is important that applications used in a cleanroom help and do not hinder the cleaning processes and the same applies to wipes. Wipes have been designed to help protect the products and the environment by absorbing liquids effectively, removing particles and are chemically resistant to commonly used cleaning agents. However, if not designed correctly cleanroom wipes can hinder cleaning processes. In some instances, the wipes can be a source of contamination by actually containing binders or additives or are chemically treated on the surface to reduce particle debris. With a vast selection of cleanroom wipes available, choosing the appropriate wipe for your environment can be a difficult task; the wipes should be selected based on the cleaning requirements.

Compact and Economical Dry Baths

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Compact, easy-to-use and offering excellent value for money are among the key features and benefits of the cube digital dry baths available from laboratory equipment specialists CLEAVER SCIENTIFIC (CSL). Available as single and dual block models, the baths are suited to a variety of applications. For example: restriction digestion, BUN, melting agar, coagulation studies, hybridisation, Hot Start PCR reactions and DNA denaturation. The baths have interchangeable quick-change blocks, fast heat-up times and reproducible temperature uniformity and accuracy. Also, as a result of their impermeable moulded aluminium alloy block and chamber construction, each cube dry bath may also be adapted as a mini water bath incubator if desired. They also feature a digital microprocessor controller for accurate temperature control in 0.1°C increments from ambient +5°C to 150°C. Rapid and easy programming is facilitated by the easy to use arrow keys on the sloped front panel, while both the temperature and running time are shown simultaneously on the conspicuous dual digital LCD display. Two software options are available for data logging to a PC and computer control.

Unique Parallel Peptide Synthesizer with Automated Microwave Technology

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Biotage, a leading supplier of tools and technology for medicinal and analytical chemistry, has announced the eagerly awaited global launch of the Syro Wave; its new microwave and parallel peptide synthesiser. The Syro Wave is a result of the joint development project announced last year between Biotage and MultiSynTech. It combines the proven performance of the established MultiSynTech robotic synthesizer with Biotage microwave technology. The Syro Wave peptide synthesis system is the only system on the market that offers both microwave and parallel peptide synthesis capabilities. To date peptide synthesis labs have been required to invest in both standalone parallel systems for productivity and cost efficiency, and standalone microwave systems for difficult or longer peptides. This results in increased demand on bench space, duplication of computer control systems, and multiple operating software platforms for chemists to learn and maintain. Biotage has addressed these shortcomings with the Syro Wave, containing both parallel and microwave technologies on the same platform. The new Biotage Syro Wave increases productivity, yield and purity while cutting costs and saving time.

Remedying Consumer Trust - Pharma Execs Unite

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

It has been no secret that consumer trust in the pharmaceutical industry has taken a knock recently. The industry has been faced with bad press from the US ‘Avandia' Scandal to the WHO's (World Health Organisation) reaction to the Swine Flu Pandemic. Big Pharma understands that responsibility to the consumer lies with them and in an active effort to remedy the flagging consumer trust they have agreed to come together at this year's NGP Summit in Portugal ran by GDS International.

"An effective compliance program embedded in the ‘right' compliance culture has become the best practice standard within global jurisdiction." Says NGP 20 Chair Willy Van Buggenhout VP WW Healthcare Compliance at Johnson & Johnson

Big Pharma companies adhere to strict compliance programmes which act as a commitment to the consumer and meet with the laws and regulations set by government bodies, but discrepancy between each companies ‘code of conduct' has lead to confusion both within the industry and for the customer. Representatives from Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi Pasteur and Astra Zeneca are meeting at the NGP EU summit to discuss how they plan to rebuild consumer trust and create a ‘Standard code of practice' accessible and understood by all.

"The effectiveness of a compliance programme is to a large extent determined by the degree with which values are shared and embraced by all levels in an organization."

Although the outlook looks good for the pharmaceutical industry meetings such as the NGP EU summit promote camaraderie in an otherwise highly competitive Market. The goal is to promote growth while maintaining business to consumer trust. 20 handpicked executives will gather before the summit in a Closed-door meeting to develop a vision on the key steps needed to capture new markets and revenues under the new compliance guidelines.

Tablet Press for High Volume Production

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Adept tablet presses have been known for their simplicity and sturdiness. Over the years they have been involved in establishing themselves with innovative features to further enhance the quality. In the year 1997 Adept 59 Press was designed. The sole purpose of this kind of tablet press was to find an alternative tooling for small size tablets produced in large volumes. Adept was looking for a solution that is cost effective and gives higher output. Hence ‘A' tooling was designed. The Adept 59 Press was designed to accommodate 59 stations of ‘A' tooling in the same size as a 35 stn B tooling press thereby increasing production by more than 65%. The ‘A' tooling has the body diameter of 12.7 mm and can make up to 10 mm tablets. The maximum permissible load is the same as ‘B' tooling i.e. 6.5 t (65KN). This turned out to be a very cost effective and simple solution for smaller tablets. This press is also a very good alternative for Multi tip toolings that run into higher expense and maintenance. Adept has recently introduced a ‘CE' compliant model of this machine.

M&A — The Trials and Tribulations

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Former Schering & Plough CEO speaks out about the pharmaceutical Industry. Where they went wrong and the solutions, which lead to the successful sale.

With the recent announcement of the Merck & Co acquisition of Schering & Plough, Fred Hassan the former Chief Executive Officer has been speaking to Meettheboss.TV on the future of the pharmaceutical Industry, mergers, acquisitions and the resistance felt?

Last year Fred over saw the $41.1 billion sale and predicts that more mergers and acquisitions should be expected throughout 2010. Company investments are a necessity for the funding of key research and development projects. "Innovation costs, but is the price too high for those involved?"

Fred speaks out during this candid interview how he dealt with a plethora of financial pressures and resistance. Shearing Plough were under FDA investigation as well as the SEC for accounting irregularities and although Fred saw this as a challenge it was not an impossible one.

‘We were under a financial challenge in the sense that the major businesses were going down. Part of that financial challenge was something I did not know about before I got there, that was a cash flow challenge. It is something, which is not seen, very often in pharmaceutical companies. But this company was looking at a big cash burn, and something had to be done about it very quickly."

The trends to combine company earnings to increase spend and meet with the financial demands of R&D is not without its risks. Fred believes that more thought must be taken into account before trying to resolve the situation with a quick fix scheme.

"I joined a company in 1997 that was in great difficulty. There has been a merger between a Swedish company and a U.S. company, and that merger had resulted in a lot of difficulties, I was brought in as a CEO from the outside to try to make this merger work. I realized that the future growth product of this company has been compromised in a deal that had to be untangled." Fred told MeetthebossTV.

With the daily announcements of big pharmaceutical companies joining forces to combat the ever increasing costs of bringing new and advanced drugs to the consumer market we must remember that short term gains will not always lead to long term prosperity.

"Don't get enamored by the attraction of the object of the target company, does it fit the next stage of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that my company has at present? Does it fit the strategy?"

To watch the full interview visit Meettheboss.TV

Accurate Handheld Micro to Millilitre Liquid Handling

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

INTEGRA has announced that it is now able to offer a complete range of handheld pipetting systems offering accurate liquid handling from 0.5 µl to 100 ml. Proven in over one hundred thousand installations worldwide the PIPETBOY pipettor range sets a high benchmark for ease-of-use, reliability, build quality, performance and operational safety. Each PIPETBOY pipettor can be used with plastic or glass pipettes with volumes of 1-100 ml. Precise and reliable pipetting is simply achieved by applying varying finger pressure to the operating buttons and by adjusting the pump speed. The PIPETBOY is powered by a high-performance NiMH battery that alerts the user when it needs recharging. To avoid internal contamination. a hydrophobic filter blocks accidentally aspirated liquids before entering the pipettor. The PIPETBOY comes in several different colours that you can assign to a particular application, user etc. thereby avoiding mix-ups. Perfectly complimenting these products INTEGRA is now able to offer the complete range of Viaflo handheld electronic pipettors. The Voyager range of handheld 8- and 12-channel electronic pipettors have been designed to increase the productivity of liquid sample transfers at a time for a fraction of the cost of an common liquid handling system.