Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA) and Catalent (NYSE:CTLT) today announced a collaboration for large-scale, commercial fill-finish manufacturing of Moderna’s mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate (mRNA-1273) at Catalent’s biologics facility in Bloomington, Ind. Catalent will provide vial filling and packaging capacity, as well as additional staffing required for 24×7 manufacturing operations at the site to support production of an initial 100 million…
DOD launches $100m initiative to return COVID-19-related medtech, pharma manufacturing to the U.S.
The U.S. Department of Defense announced today that it will dedicate $100 million authorized by the CARES Act to boost medtech and pharmaceutical manufacturing in the U.S. Working with DOD, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) launched a request for proposals from companies seeking financing under the Defense Production Act, which prioritizes government orders…
Gilead licenses remdesivir production to 5 generic drugmakers
Gilead Sciences’ (NSDQ:GILD) said Tuesday that it has signed licensing agreements with five generic pharmaceutical manufacturers based in India and Pakistan to further expand supply of remdesivir, the experimental drug being used in the U.S. to treat COVID-19. The non-exclusive, voluntary agreements allow the companies — Mylan (NSDQ:MYL), Cipla, Ferozsons Laboratories, Hetero Labs and Jubilant Lifesciences — to manufacture remdesivir for distribution in 127…
AbbVie gains U.S. nod for $63B Allergan takeover
Pharmaceutical giant AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) has won U.S. antitrust approval for its purchase of Allergan (NYSE:AGN) for $63 billion in cash and stock. The purchase is seen as a hedge against the impending expiration of U.S. patents on AbbVie’s blockbuster drug, Humira. North Chicago-based AbbVie announced the deal in June 2019, but ran up against U.S. Federal Trade Commission…
Fauci: Hundreds of millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses could be ready in January
Dr. Anthony Fauci said this morning that hundreds of millions of doses of a vaccine for COVID-19 could be ready by January. In an interview on the Today Show, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said that a vaccine candidate is in the first phase of a clinical trial. If the second…
Next COVID-19 device shortage? ‘Smart’ infusion pumps
Severely ill COVID-19 patients may need multiple medications delivered by infusion pumps. Manufacturers and hospitals are planning on how to avoid shortages of these pumps and the associated tubing. You’ve likely seen the videos of ICU hallways lined with medical devices that would normally be in patient rooms. Among them are machines that are ubiquitous…
Healthcare packaging spinoff Airnov touts products at Pharmapack
The medical device packaging industry has a newly spun-off company — Airnov Healthcare Packaging. Specialty chemical company Clariant sold its healthcare packaging business in October 2019 to private equity firm Arsenal Capital Partners, which renamed the company Airnov. Matthias Brommer, who headed the business under Clariant, was named Airnov’s president and managing director. Airnov manufactures products used to protect…
WIPOTEC-OCS to tout product line at WestPack
WIPOTEC-OCS, a manufacturer and supplier of precision in-motion weighing and X-ray scanning equipment, will feature three quality control solutions at WestPack, February 11-13 in Anaheim, CA. At Booth #5511, the company’s lineup will include a precision high-speed checkweigher for various packages, a new ultra-compact X-ray scanner measuring just 70cm in width, and a serialization unit…