The packaging machinery firm Deitz (Wall, New Jersey) has introduced the Pharmafill TC4 tabletop pill counter with an optional high-capacity hopper. The optional high-capacity stainless-steel hopper can handle 63% more pills than Deitz’s standard hopper. The high-capacity hopper can accommodate 1.6 f3 of tablets, capsules, caplets, lozenges, soft gels or other solid oral-dose products. Its…
UK puts vaccine manufacturing plant up for auction
The U.K. government has put a manufacturing plant up for sale that was instrumental in the country’s plan to battle future pandemics. According to The Financial Times, the plant, dubbed the Vaccine Manufacturing Innovation Centre (VMIC), had received at least £215 million of public funding since it was launched in 2018. A handful of companies…
Pfizer bolsters COVID-19 antiviral manufacturing capacity
Although Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) has yet to receive emergency use authorization for its Paxlovid COVID-19 therapy, it plans to manufacture 80 million courses of the drug by the end of 2022. Pfizer had initially planned on making 50 million courses of Paxlovid (PF-07321332/ritonavir) in the same time frame. An interim analysis of the Phase 2/3 EPIC-HR…
J&J joins Moderna and Pfizer in researching Omicron variant
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) has announced that it is collaborating with academic institutions internationally to gauge the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine against Omicron and other SARS-CoV-2 variants. In particular, J&J said it is conducting research on blood serum from clinical trial volunteers who have received single or multiple doses of its COVID-19 vaccine. The…
OSHA suspends enforcement of COVID-19 vaccine mandate
The Biden administration will not proceed with enforcing its vaccine mandate for businesses with at least 100 employees given a recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The administration had planned on putting the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in charge of administering the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. While a statement…
Federal appeals court concludes Biden’s vaccine mandate poses ‘serious constitutional concerns’
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued an opinion on November 12 concluding that the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate was ‘fatally flawed.’ A three-judge panel on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has blocked the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA’s) plan to institute a vaccine mandate for employers with at least…
Pneumatic conveyor can load reactors automatically
Process equipment specialist Gericke (Somerset, New Jersey) has introduced the DenseFlow PHF dense phase pneumatic conveying system, which can automatically transfer hazardous or non-regulated powders and other bulk materials from bags and sacks into reactors. The company says the system can protect workers from exposure to toxic and hazardous materials and hazardous vapors while protecting product purity.…
California and Colorado to allow COVID-19 boosters for all adults
COVID-19 vaccine booster eligibility has gradually expanded, but a significant portion of adults don’t meet the current criteria set forth by FDA and CDC. California and Colorado have decided to sidestep the federal government by making all fully vaccinated adults in those states eligible for a booster. California will require that six months have elapsed…
Johnson & Johnson to spin off consumer segment
Recently, General Electric (NYSE:GE), Zimmer Biomet (NYSE: ZBH) and Toshiba (TYO:6502) announced their plans to slim down by spinning out core businesses. Now, Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) is following a similar approach by making its consumer health business a standalone company. J&J will retain its pharmaceutical and medical device segments. The company said in an…
Baxter bolsters fill-finish capabilities with $100M investment in Germany
Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) plans to invest roughly $100 million to expand a sterile fill-finish manufacturing plant in Halle/Westfalen, Germany. BioPharma Solutions (BPS), a subsidiary of Deerfield, Illinois–based Baxter, will manage the new facility. BPS supports pharmaceutical companies through a range of offerings, including scientific support, sterile contract manufacturing and parenteral delivery systems. Baxter anticipates that…