Pharma manufacturing news in brief
pharmafile | November 29, 2011 | News story | Manufacturing and Production | NIB, manufacturing and production
Fujifilm inks another biosimilars deal, an explosion rocks an Aurobindo plant, plus manufacturing updates from Teva, Bellwyck Packaging and Indian excipients specialist Ideal Cures.
Fujifilm has taken another stride into the biosimilars sector with the announcement of a 50:50 joint venture with Kyowa Hakko Kirin, which is due to start operations in 2012. Earlier this year, Fujifilm kicked off its biosimilars-building programme with the acquisition of Merck/MSD Biomanufacturing Network, a contract manufacturer with facilities in the US and UK. Fujifilm followed that up with a biologics manufacturing partnership with Mitsubishi. The JV plans to start trials of its first biosimilar candidate in 2013.
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries is constructing a new production area at its facility in Godollo, Hungary to help meet a shortage of the anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil across Europe. Teva said the construction is the latest stage in a 30-billion forint ($133 million) investment by the company in Hungary, according to a report in the Budapest Business Journal. Several hospitals in Hungary have run short of 5-FU and the drug is in short supply across Europe and other areas of the world, including the US. Stocks are also running low of leucovorin, a folic acid product that is often co-administered with 5-FU in cancer treatment.
Three people have been injured in an explosion at an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing facility run by Aurobindo Pharma in Ranastalam, India, according to an Economic Times report. The three workers suffered burns when a reactor exploded at the plant and were taken to hospital.
Bellwyck Packaging Solutions has acquired fellow Canadian company Ace Packaging in order to boost its healthcare division, which specialises in encapsulation, bottling, blistering, pouching, labelling and cartooning, as well as clinical trial packaging and logistics services. Ace focuses on solid dose primary and secondary packaging of prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals and other health products. Terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed.
India’s Ideal Cures, a specialist in pharmaceutical excipients, has launched a new line of polymer-based film-coating ingredients under the Instacoat E brand name. The series can be applied rapidly, in around half the time of other coating products on the market, according to the company, while they dry extremely quickly, cutting energy and time requirements. Ideal Cures will showcase the new line at the CPhI India conference in Mumbai, which starts tomorrow (November 30).
Phil Taylor
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