Illinois Lures Kansas City-Area Stem Cell Researchers

This seems like the next "Manufacturing Belt" job wave...

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Comptroller Dan Hynes are asking some Missouri doctors and scientists involved in stem cell research -- including some in Kansas City -- to consider moving to the Prairie State. The Illinois officials said Monday that they had sent a letter to 30 doctors and scientists conducting stem cell research in Missouri, including some at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, Midwest Research Institute and Saint Luke's Health System. Stowers Institute spokeswoman Marie Jennings said she doesn't know who at the institute received the letter. In a written release, the institute said that it has had a good home in Missouri and that it is "very concerned" about recent efforts to ban stem cell research in the state.

link to biospace story

Merck to Mull Settling Some Vioxx Suits

Merck to Consider Settling Limited Number of Lawsuits Over Withdrawn Painkiller Vioxx


TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- Merck & Co. will consider settling a limited number of lawsuits over its withdrawn painkiller Vioxx, a spokesman said Friday. The drug's link to heart attacks and strokes has spawned thousands of lawsuits and last week's $253 million jury verdict in Texas.

link to yahoo AP story

More information on Virtual Neighbors...

this may seem to hometown to the rest of you, but here goes...

link from select greater philadelphia

In particular, check out this report from the Milken Institute entitled "The Greater Phildelphia Life Sciences Cluster"...it has a lot of good comparative information for major cities in the US...

End of the line looms for Able Laboratories

Another example of the cost of quality, or rather, the non-conformances...

So if you ever hear something along the lines of "yeah, but look at all the money we'll save...it's not like it's gonna bring the company down or anything..."; It's time to stop and wonder...

Troubled generic drug manufacturer Able Laboratories has conceded defeat in its bid to get products back onto the market and elected to sell off the assets of the business.

Able was forced to cease manufacturing and recall all of its products in May after serious questions were raised about quality control data used to obtain approval for products made at its manufacturing facility in New Jersey. The company has been in negotiations with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a ‘rescue package' that would allow it to start making and selling products again. But these have failed, according to a company statement released yesterday.

link from in-pharmatech.com

Contract manufacturing news in brief

Who's making what for whom? In-PharmaTechnologist provides its periodic round-up of new deals and developments in the pharmaceutical contract manufacturing sector.

link from in-pharmatech.com

Collaboration Key to Overcoming Obstacles to Drug Development

New AAMC/FDA Report Highlights Partnership Opportunities

link from fda.gov/aamc.org


Washington, D.C., August 15, 2005 - Industry, academic medicine, and government researchers are calling for new and increased collaborations among pharmaceutical companies, academic researchers, and regulatory agencies to strengthen the processes that move scientific breakthroughs to novel diagnostics and therapeutics that benefit the public. A January conference, sponsored by the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and part of the FDA's Critical Path Initiative, was the basis for a new report that describes an array of immediate opportunities for stakeholders to work together toward breakthroughs in the drug development sciences.

Smart’ nanotubes could have drug delivery uses

Check out the cool images at the bottom of the article...

A team of materials scientists and biologists in the US say they have developed ‘smart’ bio-nanotubes that could be used to deliver a drug or gene to a particular location in the body.


link from in-pharmatech.com

Seven Pharma Pipeline Picks

whose got stuff coming...at least what forbes thinks...also check out the related links for whose product line has moved on and whose product line has tanked...

NEW YORK - This month, we have added seven new experimental drugs to our watch list of New Drugs to Watch, a sampling of the most interesting medicines in development at pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

link from forbes.com

Pfizer Sets Guidelines on Its Advertising

first BMS...now Pfizer

maybe we can consider this a trend...

NEW YORK - Pfizer Inc. pledged not to directly promote any new product to patients for at least six months after putting it on the market and to target only adult audiences when touting impotency treatment Viagra on TV.

link to full article on yahoo.com

Mayor Bloomberg Anounces Developer To Build Largest Biotech Campus In New York City

[update] added picture from enr.com...


$700 MM private investment in a new Bioscience center in NY...

link to biospace.com

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced the selection of Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc. to develop the East River Science Park into the largest commercial bioscience center in New York City. The new 870,000-square-foot-facility, which will be built on a City-controlled site on Bellevue's campus that the City will lease to Alexandria, is expected to jumpstart the City's commercial bioscience sector by attracting the world's leading healthcare and pharmaceutical companies, and providing needed expansion space for the City's existing companies. The privately-financed, $700 million project is expected to create more than 2,000 permanent jobs and 4,000 construction jobs over the next 10 years. The total economic impact of ongoing operations of the development project is expected to be more than $350 million a year. Deputy Mayor for Economic Development & Rebuilding Daniel L. Doctoroff, Economic Development Corporation (EDC) President Andrew M. Alper, Health & Hospitals Corporation Acting President Alan D. Aviles, Bellevue Hospital Executive Director Linda Curtis, Alexandria CEO Joel S. Marcus, and Kathryn Wylde, President & CEO of the Partnership for New York City, the City's leading business group that committed up to $10 million toward the project through its New York City Investment Fund, also attended the event.

FDA Alerts U.S. Residents to Recall of Counterfeit "Lipitor" Sold in the United Kingdom

Hopefully, this will not become the first of many...

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting U.S. residents to the recent recall of a batch of counterfeit "Lipitor" (atorvastatin) sold in the United Kingdom (U.K.). The medicine is used to treat high cholesterol. The counterfeit Lipitor 20mg tablets were recalled in the U.K. on July 28, 2005. Health authorities in the U.K. stated that initial results of tests performed on the counterfeit drugs do not indicate that this product poses an immediate risk to patients, however, they are advising that patients stop taking the drug and return it to the pharmacy where they obtained it. U.K. pharmacies are being advised to return all remaining stock of this batch to Pfizer Ltd., the manufacturer of Lipitor.

link from FDA.gov

GSK to double flu vaccine production capacity

The world’s second largest pharmaceutical company, GlaxoSmithKline, is investing close to €100 million in a new manufacturing facility in Dresden, Germany, for flu vaccines.


link from in-pharmatech

Took a Break...

Sorry...no posts last week.

to busy judging sunsets over the bay...

I'll get back to it...

Millipore Acquires NovAseptic AB: Broadens Offering to Biotech and Pharmaceutical Industry

Now we can all get samples of those cool little plastic snap-in aseptic connections things....

link from biospace.com