Pharmaceutical Processing

The U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services (HHS) and Dept. of Defense (DoD) announced a joint effort to increase manufacturing for vials earmarked for COVID-19-related drugs and vaccines. The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), as part of HHS, collaborated with DoD to provide funding for U.S.-based companies Corning Inc. and SiO2 Materials…

Honeywell (NYSE:HON) is touting its new Aclar Edge bottles and vials as a safer alternative to glass packaging for pharmaceutical products. Aclar Edge is meant for oral liquids for human health and sterile injectables for animal health applications. Honeywell said it has created the bottles and vials through its novel and proprietary multi-layer extrusion blow molding…

Merck has exercised its option to use Vaxxas‘ High Density Microarray Patch (HD-MAP) platform as a delivery platform for a vaccine candidate, the companies announced today. The companies did not disclose what the vaccine candidate is supposed to treat. But Merck this month announced two COVID-19 vaccine development efforts: a collaboration with IAVI and plans…

Thermo Fischer Scientific announced today that it has inked a strategic partnership with biotechnology company CSL to help better meet the growing demand for biologic therapies. Thermo Fisher will support CSL’s product portfolio through its pharma services network, including drug product development, biologics manufacturing, sterile fill-finish, packaging and clinical trials logistics. Thermo Fisher — through…

Creating a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine is just the first step. Recent media reports suggest that making it will also be a major challenge. There are presently a number of vaccine candidates around the world that are showing promise and entering the clinical studies phase — a speed of development usually unheard of in…

ACG (Mumbai, India) announced today that the nonprofit Clean Label Project has certified its ACGcaps H+. Clean Label Project certification signifies that a product has met strict and comprehensive testing to demonstrate a priority on purity and environmental sustainability, according to ACG. The nonprofit evaluates test results against California Proposition 65, which is meant to…

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…

Quartic.ai and Bright Path Labs announced today that they’ve agreed to develop an AI-powered continuous manufacturing platform for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and other small molecule drugs. The technology will use Bright Path Labs’ continuous bioreactor and the Quartic.ai smart manufacturing technology. The companies are touting the technology as a way to diversify supplies of APIs, many…

Evonik recently announced that it will spend an initial €25 million (equivalent to nearly $28 million) to expand its Dossenheim and Hanau facilities in Germany. The expansion is meant to meet the growing demand for the contract manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and advanced intermediates within Europe. Evonik expects to complete the €25 million…

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…