Pharma manufacturing news in brief
pharmafile | March 22, 2011 | News story | Manufacturing and Production |Â Â American Regent, Berkshire Hathaway, Cytovance, Intercell, Solagran, West Pharmaceutical Services, morphosys, pharma contract manufacturingÂ
Lubrizol bought for $9.7 billion by Berkshire Hathaway, plus the latest pharma manufacturing and quality news.
Berkshire Hathaway, run by billionaire investor Warren Buffet, has agreed to acquire US chemical ingredients company Lubrizol in a $9.7 billion deal. Lubrizol employs around 6,900 people worldwide and had 2010 revenues of $5.4 billion. In addition to pharmaceutical ingredients the company sells additives that improve the performance of lubricants used in engines, ingredients and additives for personal care products, plastics and performance coatings.
Health Canada has advised people vaccinated against Japanese encephalitis after December 23, 2010, to check whether the vaccine was from a lot that has been recalled by manufacturer Intercell and distributor Novartis. The companies say that one lot of the Ixiaro vaccine may not provide full protection against Japanese encephalitis, a viral disease spread by mosquito bites that is most prevalent in southeast Asia.
Boehringer Ingelheim will manufacture therapeutic antibodies for German biotech Morphosys under a newly-signed agreement between the two companies. The agreement covers the process development and manufacturing of additional clinical material for MorphoSys’ MOR208 – an anti-CD19 antibody in phase I testing as a treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia – as well as other drug candidates.
American Regent has recalled additional batches of its injectable sodium chloride, sodium thiosulfate and potassium phosphate products in the US because of contamination with particles “consistent with glass delamination”. Glass delamination can occur with high pH solutions when the surface glass from the vial separates into thin layers, resulting in glass particles with a flaky appearance.
Australian biotechnology company Solagran is planning to start the construction of a new $50 million plant in the Tomsk region of Siberia, Russia, which will focus on the production of pharmaceuticals and other healthcare products derived from green conifer needles, according to the Interfax news agency.
US contract biologics manufacturer Cytovance has won $22.5 million in private equity funding that will be used in part to fund an expansion of its production facility in Oklahoma City. Great Point Partners has put up the money for Cytovance, which provides clinical trial and commercial scale good manufacturing practice (GMP) services.
West Pharmaceutical Services has said it will invest $29 million to expand its US facility in Kinston, North Carolina, which manufactures syringe plungers and intravenous (IV) system components. West will spend the money on improving production processes and adding new washing and inspection technologies, according to local news reports.
Phil Taylor
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