Brian Buntz

The chemicals and materials specialist Avantor (NYSE:AVTR) has debuted J.T.Baker robotic tips for robotic liquid handling and research workstations. The company says the new tips offer high precision and reliability. Avantor will employ an independent test lab to verify the robotic tips are free of DNase, RNase, ATP and pyrogens. The company will offer the…

The National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT) center of excellence in Dublin, Ireland, has tapped SP Scientific Products (SP) to install a modular multi-container filling line and isolation system. The technology will complement the training of professionals working on pharmaceutical production fill-finish processes requiring high cleanliness levels to prevent contamination from human contact…

The managed care consortium Kaiser Permanente is suing Merck (NYSE: MRK) over alleged pay-to-delay agreements to withhold the production of generic drugs for Zetia and Vytorin. Zetia (ezetimibe) is a cholesterol absorption inhibitor while Vytorin combines ezetimibe with simvastatin, an inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase. FDA drugs treat high cholesterol levels. The lawsuit also names Glenmark, a…

With COVID-19 transmission continuing to accelerate, President Biden called for state and local governments to offer financial incentives for vaccination. Speaking at a White House briefing dedicated to the novel coronavirus, Biden offered to draw such funding from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. “People are dying and will die who don’t have to die,”…

FDA has agreed to extend the shelf life of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 to six months. The previous shelf life was four and a half months. The regulatory agency based its decision on data from ongoing studies involving vaccine doses stored at the previously indicated storage temperature of 2–8°C (35.6–46.4°F). There is currently a…

Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) posted second-quarter results today that beat the consensus forecast. In addition, thanks to solid vaccine sales, the company boosted its outlook for the remainder of the year. The company expects annual sales of the two-dose vaccine it jointly developed with BioNTech to hit $3.5 billion. The New York City–based company reported profits…

The Department of Justice recently decided that federal law doesn’t block public or private organizations from requiring COVID-19 vaccines. Following that decision, a growing number of organizations are beginning to mandate COVID-19 vaccines. The Department of Veteran Affairs became the first federal agency to do so. That decision will require full vaccination for some 115,000…

Calico Life Sciences, an R&D biotech founded in 2013 as a Google subsidiary, is reaffirming its partnership with AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) it initially formed in 2014. The latest agreement extends the collaboration from 2022 to 2025 while allotting $500 million in additional funding from both companies. The two companies are collaborating on three clinical stage…

Pharma companies are resisting a tentative agreement between 130 countries to create a minimum corporate tax of 15%. The plan intends to combat tax inversion and other forms of tax avoidance. Some U.S. industries, including Big Tech, have backed the plan given its potential to simplify accounting — even if it increases their tax rate.…

Earlier this year, Xilinx (San Jose, Calif.) launched its Kria line of adaptive system-on-modules (SOMs) for a host of AI applications, including in factory and healthcare environments. In terms of the former, the SOMs target digital twin, predictive maintenance and defect detection applications. SOMs, which are small embedded boards about the size of a credit…