Pharmaceutical Processing

The White House Coronavirus Task Force promised a swift rollout of COVID-19 vaccines — but one of a number of takeaways from its first briefing since July. The briefing yesterday gave the task force a chance to once again urge Americans to heed COVID-19 guidance while also providing an update on vaccines and therapeutics.   The…

Scientists at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom have developed a nasal spray that reportedly suppresses COVID-19 infection.  The nasal spray includes λ-carrageenan and gellan polysaccharide, both of which are already available as pharmaceutical-grade materials. The polysaccharides in the formulation are known for their mucoadhesive properties.  In essence, the formulation is designed to…

GlaxoSmithKline (LON:GSK) paid nearly $10 billion in inflation-adjusted financial penalties between January 2003 and December 2016, the highest tally for any drug company, according to research published in JAMA. That sum was more than any other in a sampling of 26 companies paying fines inside the U.S. Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) was next in line with…

Vibalogics announced that it initiated the first phase of its planned $150 million investment in a virotherapy facility near Boston. The global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) has a three-year investment plan which includes building a 110,000 square-foot facility, with the $150 million covering redevelopment, equipment and personnel, according to a news release. Get the…

Sotera Health has filed with the SEC to confirm its intent to raise nearly $1.1 billion in an initial public offering. Broadview Heights, Ohio-based Sotera Health said in the filing out yesterday that it expects to sell 46.6 million shares of its common stock at an assumed IPO price of $21.50 per share, totaling $949.3…

While President Trump continues to refuse to concede the election, a growing number of business associations and politicians have acknowledged Biden as the president-elect. What a Biden presidency would mean for the pharmaceutical industry continues to be an open question as the Senate outcome remains undecided, but two broadly similar outcomes are likely. Ultimately, neither…

Grifols (MCE:GRF and NSDQ:GRFS) posted third-quarter earnings yesterday that came in ahead of analysts’ projections, but its revenue fell short of the consensus forecast. The Barcelona-based manufacturer of blood-plasma products reported a net profit of €485.7 million on revenue of €4.0 billion for the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2020. Growth in constant currency was 7.6% compared with…

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO) and Innoforce have agreed to set up a new pharma services facility in Hangzhou, China for biologics and drug development and manufacturing.  Innoforce is a Hangzhou, China-based contract development and manufacturing company. The two companies expect to complete the facility in 2022.   The site will become part of Thermo Fisher’s…

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) expects common stock for its Viatris spin-off to be available starting Nov. 12, following the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s approval of the proposed merger of Mylan (NSDQ:MYL) and Pfizer’s biopharmaceutical Upjohn brand.  The company expects the “when-issued” market for Viatris common stock (VTRSV) to be available from Nov. 12 to Nov. 16, when it…

Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) posted third-quarter results that beat analysts’ consensus forecast while raising its outlook for the remainder of the year. The New York City-headquartered company announced third-quarter revenues of $10.5 billion and profits of $1.63 per share for the quarter that ended Sept. 30, 2020 . Compared with the same quarter last year, profits…