In a strategic move, Bayer plans to cut as many as 12,000 jobs over the next few years, shed its animal care business, and exit from the Coppertone and Dr. Scholl’s consumer product lines. Most of the job cuts will come from operations in Germany, according to the company, which employs some 118,000 workers globally. Bayer…
Sandoz Abandoning U.S. Development of Rixathon
Novartis’ Sandoz division recently announced that it was no longer pursuing US approval for Rixathon, its biosimilar version of Roche’s Rituxan/MabThera (rituximab). Despite the fact that not seeking approval in the US is a lost opportunity in the short term, Sandoz’s strategy to prioritize other more profitable markets for Rixathon will benefit the company in…
Shire Takes Top Spot in 2018 ISPE Facility of the Year Awards
Aphria to Acquire CC Pharma, Strengthening Foothold in German Medical Cannabis Market
Aphria Inc. has proposed the acquisition of CC Pharma GmbH, a leading distributor of pharmaceutical products to more than 13,000 pharmacies in Germany. The transaction, when closed, will strengthen the Company’s end-to-end medical cannabis operations and infrastructure in Germany, a key market in Aphria’s international expansion. It is anticipated that the transaction will close in January 2019. “This acquisition strengthens…
Experic Launches With Planned cGMP Pharma Supply Facility in New Jersey
Experic, a pharmaceutical supply services provider, has leased a 45,500-square-foot headquarters, research, manufacturing, and packaging facility in Cranbury, NJ. to focus on small and midsize customers. The new cGMP facility will feature capabilities around powder and solid oral manufacturing in addition to traditional dosage forms, along with packaging, labeling, and global supply chain management services. Upon opening, the facility…
Reinventing Employee Training to Improve Quality in Pharma
In 2015, 30 percent of the 40 GMP warning letters issued by the FDA for data integrity deficiencies referenced training issues or requirements.1 There are a number of challenges hindering effective training in life sciences. For example, most companies use one system to manage standard operating procedures (SOPs) and other documents, and a different application…
Supplier Quality: Where Are Pharma Companies Going Wrong?
Novartis Plans to Cut 2,100 Jobs in Switzerland, Britain
Novartis said Tuesday it’s cutting some 2,100 jobs in Switzerland and Britain over several years as the Swiss pharmaceuticals giant tweaks its corporate structure to become more nimble and more efficient. CEO Vas Narasimhan said Novartis hopes to lower its overall headcount worldwide to below 100,000, from about 126,000 today. Much of that is due…
Emergent BioSolutions Expands Manufacturing Capability
ABEC, a global provider of integrated solutions and services for biopharmaceutical manufacturing, will provide CSR dual purpose single-use systems to Emergent BioSolutions for large scale 750L microbial fermentation and 500L mammalian cell culture. The dual purpose systems are custom designed to accommodate Emergent’s process needs and operational requirements and complement Emergent’s 4,000L CSR single-use bioreactor capability. Integration of ABEC’s CSR…
Automation for Preventing Pharmaceutical Recalls
Recalls of pharmaceutical products spiked 52 percent in Q1 2018, the highest since 20131. Though the average recall size has been declining in recent years, due in part to serialization and SKU proliferation, pharmaceutical companies continue to look for automated equipment solutions that can help prevent recalls. Sixty-two percent of pharmaceutical companies predict spending more on…