Archives June 2011

The largest public-private partnership in the biopharmaceutical sector, Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) launched its second wave of research projects, which includes cancer, immune-mediated diseases, infectious disorders and electronic health. With 23 projects up and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) on a uniquely large scale. IMI would now be sharing their current as well as future R&D with Europe. Maire   Geoghegan-Quinn,   Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, said, "By speeding up drug development across Europe, investments made by the IMI will ultimately save and improve lives, as well as make a major contribution to the Innovation Union and to' growth and jobs."  

Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc recently declared the launch of new magnetic bead-based multiplex immunoassays for TGF-6, rat cytokines, rat diabetes and mouse TH17 cytokines. New assays are built on Luminex's MagPlex platform to take advantage of the magnetic beads workflow that simplifies assay preparation and reduces variability in results. Magnetic bead-based assays are compatible with both vaccuum and magnetic wash stations as well as  other Luminex xMAP platforms such as Bio Rad's Bio-Plex 200 and Bio-Plex 3D systems. The Bio-Plex Pro rat cytokine assays and Bio-Plex Pro rat diabetes assays detect 25 rat cytokines and five rat diabetes biomarkers, respectively. Both pa to help researchers investigate mechanisms and   quantify biomarkers of diseases, such as   diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, and of those associated with neurological disorders and  inflammation. The Bio-Plex Pro TGF-6 assays detect the three is forms of the transforming growth factor beta: TGF- 61, TGF- 62 more...

Wyatt Technology Corporation, a world leader in instrumentation for absolute macromolecular characterisation   and   software,   recently announced that its Mobius™ electrophoretic mobility instrument can measure precise protein charges. The innovative optical design of the Mobius boosts the sensitivity of mobility measurements, enabling protein net charge measurements, enabling protein net charge characterization at much lower concentrations than previously possible. Protein molecules carry charges that are influenced by their environment, amino acid sequence, ionic strength and the aqueous solvent pH in which they are dissolved. The net charge carried by protein molecules is of enormous scientific interest since it affects the behaviour of the molecules. As the ionic strength of the solution increases, for example, more counter ions are present in the vicinity of the protein molecules and the mobility generally decreases due to the electrophoretic effect.

...says Dr Ashifi    Gogo, CEO, Sproxil Inc. He is Six Sigma Black Belt certified in Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Continuous Process Improvement. A PhD in Electrical Engineering from the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College and a double-major BA in Mathematics and Physics from Whitman College, he is Dartmouth's first-ever PhD Innovation Fellow. With the expansion of Sproxil in India, he shares his expertise.  chandreyee Bhaumik                            Please share Sproxil's business journey. What gives your company an edge over others? Sproxil's services allow end consumers to verity with a simple free text message that they are not purchasing counterfeit medication. Sproxil's Mobile Product Authentication (MPA) technology capitalizes on technology that already exist and is readily accessible & easily understood by all levels of society- namely cellular phone SMS capabilities and scratch-off lottery-style labels. Our technology enables consumers to buy genuine drugs over spurious ones. Pharma companies pay service fees more...

Recruiting and retaining the right talent has always been a task for the Human Resource (HR) departments of most industrial sectors. For pharma HR, the task at hand may require revisiting some of their existing policies and strategies, thus ensuring nothing but the Best. No sooner does one step into higher secondary school, he/she is bogged by 'What you want to become in life?' questions! At that tender age, for any young student, attractive professions still remain in the lines of medicine, engineering and architecture. Pharma as a profession has not achieved the deserving glamour, and most often it is the secondary choice. However, with the increasing number of pharma colleges, the future of these graduates seems brighter than before. Is the field stable enough to sustain the increasing attraction? Is the pay lucrative enough to tediously work in a lab for long hours? Are the HR departments able to more...

With the existence of a plethora of pharma companies, good marketing of a brand is extremely essential in today's world. Different practitioners view medical representatives (MRs) differently. if MRs can work in co-ordination with doctors, a smart way to boost product sale is on the scene.   Irrespective of the nature of their business, the sales and marketing team of any industry has a three- point agenda: generate business, outdo last year's sales and beat the annual targets. The entire team right from the field sales officer to the manager and the chief of marketing and sales meet periodically and review their quarterly performance. In the pharma industry, the financial year beginning in April each year is also the time when the MR and the area manager go full throttle to boost their sales. For the drug industry, the first quarter is extremely crucial for survival. The first quarter of more...

This article chronicles how Genesis developed the new inspection system for a major pharmaceutical manufacturer, and explores how the lessons learned from initial feasibility study through final system integration were applied to a new stand-alone raised stopper detection station.   Vials are small. The rubber stoppers that go in them, even smaller. But small things can lead to big problems for pharmaceutical manufacturers. Prior to capping and sealing, the rubber stopper in a vial must be seated properly. If it is not, costly product could be spilled or sterility compromised. Genesis Machinery   Products   found   that vision sensors work much better than photoelectric sensors when it comes to checking vials for raised stoppers. Vision sensors are less error-prone, more accurate, repeatable and provide consistent results regardless of normal product-to-product    inconsistencies. For pharmaceutical manufacturers, the new vision-based inspection system streamlines   product   changeovers, minimizes waste and provides data for better tracking of rejects. more...

A group of world-class speakers were assembled for the event and featured Deloitte India as knowledge partner with Ranjit Shahani, Managing Director, Novartis India, as keynote speaker. Shahani in his keynote address described the pharma industry as seen from the eyes of an India-based multinational pharma company's CEO. Other speakers included Sumit Ghoshal, Deputy Editor, Business India, who discussed why the recent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) curb on pharma M&As need not be feared. He was followed by other speakers such as Dr Milind Antani, Head, Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences, Nishith Desai Associates. Attani elaborated on legal and Intellectual Property (IP) aspects on pharma M& as with another associate Simon Reis. Further, Chris Barnett, a London-UK based Qualified Person (QP) who worked in India in the past depicted a positive picture of how Indian pharma have changed for the better but quality challenges remain to be tackled if Indian pharma more...

Six Indian pharma majors will be entering the US generic market for Levaquin (levofloxacin), an antibiotic approved for treating bacterial infections. Oral and injectable forms of levofloxacin  have been approved from 12 manufacturers, including six Indian  companies; Aurobindo, Dr Reddy's, Glenmark, Lupin, Torrent and Wockhardt. Levaquin reported annual sales of $1.3 billion in 2010 and $422 million in the first quarter of 2011. Levofloxacin is used to treat mild, moderate or severe bacterial infections of the skin, sinuses, kidneys, bladder and prostate caused by specific germs, and those which causes bronchitis or pneumonia. It is used to treat those exposed to inhalational anthrax. "FDA-approved generic drugs must meet rigorous standards and are required to be of high quality," said Keith Webber, Deputy Director Pharmaceutical Science, USFDA - Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Dr Reddy's and Lupin have announced the launch of the tablets in the strengths of 250 mg, more...

Themis Medicare, one of India's leading research-based healthcare companies, has recently announced an agreement with multiple award winning social enterprise, mPedigree Network, which shall see consumers of Themis' life-saving drugs verifying the authenticity and quality status of their Themis' brands for free via mobile phone text messaging technology. The partnership also marks the much-awaited introduction of the mPedigree instant authentication technology platform to the Indian pharma industry reassure their customers about the quality and safety of their pharmaceutical brands, using free text messages and unique scratch codes. Dr Dinesh Patel, CEO, Themis Medicare, remarked, "We recognize that increasing concerns about quality and safety requires that we must go an extra mile. It will be like keeping in place our philosophy, ie, to create means for our customers to be absolutely reassured that the medicine they are receiving satisfies the high and uncompromising standards of quality we hold dear, whatever the more...