Plants tweaked to produce SARS vaccine
link from Reuters
Thursday, June 16, 2005
SARS Vaccine: Attack Of The Virus-Killer Tomatoes
Scientists Grow Brain Cells In A Dish
"I'd unravel every riddle... for every individdle..."
C'mon everbody, sing along...
link from biospace
Pfizer to Acquire Vicuron for $1.9 Billion
Pfizer, Vicuron Pharmaceutical Companies Announce $1.9 Billion Merger Agreement
The Big get Bigger...
link from Yahoo Finance
Friday, June 10, 2005
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Biotech's "Fantastic Future Ahead"
Some bold predictions on what's coming for the industry from Ernst & Young's Scott Morrison
On June 1, financial-services provider Ernst & Young released its 19th annual report on the biotechnology industry. The firm is so optimistic about biotech's future it declares that in the U.S., the sector is "coming of age."
link from business week online
hey, you didn't hear this from me...
Monday, June 06, 2005
Researchers make antibodies in egg whites
04/06/2005 - Scientists have successfully achieved the production of a functional humanised antibody in the whites of eggs laid by a transgenic hen, opening the door to using transgenic flocks as an alternative to mammalian cell culture for the production of many protein drugs, reports Phil Taylor.
link from in-pharma tech
Maybe firms will start building a collection of facilties to house flocks of poultry...
People on the move- at Merck
from in-pharma-tech
04/06/2005 - In-PharmaTechnologist.com reports its periodic round-up of new appointments in the pharmaceutical sector, headlined this week by the appointment of a new head of manufacturing at US drugmaker Merck & Co.
Willie Deese, currently senior vice president of global procurement at Merck & Co, has been named president of the group's manufacturing division, succeeding Richard Clark who has been elected chief executive of the firm following the recently announced resignation of Raymond Gilmartin.
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Biotech's Hype And Hope Yielded Losses
several articles regarding new report from Ernst and Young regarding the biotechnology sector...
[Update]: link from chicago tribune
link from boston globe.com
link from sfgate.com
FDA Accelerated Drug Approval System Flawed
Speedy drug-review process 'broken'
Markey seeks fines for firms that don't complete studies
story link from boston globe
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Roche plans new plant to meet Tamiflu demand
read the last paragraph...new plant...North America...2nd half of 2005...
31/05/2005 - International concerns over the threat of a new influenza pandemic is hiking demand for Roche’s Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate) product to the extent that the Swiss company may have to build another production plant to meet demand, reports Phil Taylor.
link from in-pharma-tech
didn't Phil Taylor used to play for Motorhead?
Pfizer signs up for Chromos cell engineering system
maybe this technology will replace MAB production techniques...
anybody know anything about it?
31/05/2005 - Chromos Molecular Systems won another customer for its cell line engineering technology yesterday, when world number one drugmaker Pfizer took out a license for its ACE system, reports Phil Taylor.
link from in-pharm-tech
Friday, May 27, 2005
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Personnel Trends
The other day I heard of yet another experienced engineer making the move to the Client/ Operations side of the industry...mostly from the process side...going in to run/ oversee projects...
Maybe there is always a certain level of cross-pollination going on, but lately it seems more than usual. Do OPs companies really need additional people with execution experience in-house? Hopefully, it means they have more project work in the pipeline!
Or is this coming from the other side...a desire to move to the side of the industry that is considered more stable...although lately, it doesn't always seem that way.
I don't know, but a few companies are missing their process capabilities...
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Another Interphex review
[Update 17Jun05]more Inteprhex news...
Novo Nordisk A/S Named Inaugural Facility of the Year Award Winner
link from deltavnews
link to delta v news blog
with better writing!!!
article link from Pharmacuetical Online
another interphex review from mesa labs blog
link
Big Blue aims to modernise pharma production
25/05/2005 - Information technology giant IBM has developed a software architecture that promises to modernise the pharmaceutical industry’s manufacturing processes, often accused of lagging behind those of other industries such as chemicals and foods, reports Phil Taylor.
link from in-pharma-tech.com
Biotech to outpace pharma, says Deloitte
25/05/2005 - The boundary between the pharma and biotech industries will become incresingly blurred over the next 10 years, with the latter enjoying stronger growth, writes Phil Taylor.
link from in-pharma-tech.com
'Sarcasm' brain areas discovered
well, at least one portion of my brain works...
link from bbc.com
Scientists say they have located the parts of the brain that comprehend sarcasm - honestly.
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Designing the laboratory of the future
24/05/2005 - The primary difficulty facing anyone given the task of designing a state-of-the-art laboratory is that they generally don’t have access to a crystal ball to tell them exactly what will be at the leading edge of technology in two to three years time – the average time it takes to design and construct a facility, reports Phil Taylor.
lab design tips and emerging trends
Able Laboratories (ABRX) Suspends Manufacturing Operations, Announces Product Recall
"Quality is free...it's the non-conformances that cost money"...Phil Crosby
GMP issues come home to roost...
link from AP
Friday, May 20, 2005
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Nanocoatings could keep labs clean
19/05/2005 - Nanotechnology has the potential to radically alter the quality and cleanliness of laboratory and pharmaceutical workplaces.
link to nanotechnology story
from in-pharma-tech
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Top 10- 20 Biotech
so here the list for the Biotech side...
yahoo finance Biotech Leaders/ Laggards based on revenue
as of 18May05...
Leaders in Total Revenue (ttm)
1- CARDINAL HEALTH INC [CAH]........ $72.4 B
2- AMERISOURCEBERGEN CP [ABC]..... $53.3 B
3- SANOFI-AVENTIS SA [SNY]........... $19.0 B
4- AMGEN [AMGN]....................... $11.0 B
5- GENENTECH INC [DNA]................ $5.1 B
6- TEVA PHARM INDS AD [TEVA]........ $5.1 B
7- NOVO NORDISK A S [NVO]............. $5.0 B
8- ALTANA AG ADS [AAA]................ $3.8 B
9- FOREST LABS CL A [FRX].............. $3.2 B
10- D & K HEALTHCARE [DKHR].......... $3.2 B
Laggards in Total Revenue (ttm)
CORAUTUS GENETICS [VEGF]............... $83.0 K
STEMCELLS INC [STEM]...................... $82.0 K
SOLEXA, INC. [SLXA]......................... $79.0 K
XCYTE THERAPIES, INC [XCYT].............. $66.0 K
TITAN PHARMA INC [TTP].................... $44.0 K
PROVECTUS PHARMA [PVCT.OB]............ $32.0 K
BIOTECH HOLDINGS LTD [BIOHF.OB]....... $23.0 K
SANGUINE CORPORATION [SGNC.OB]...... $20.0 K
BIONUTRICS INC [BNRX.PK]................. $11.0 K
LORUS THERAPEUTICS [LRP]............... $6,000
Some of the companies in the leader list are not included on the "Major Drug" Index...but would make the list using revenue as criteria...
I don't see the same overlap between the Leaders/ Laggards that shows up on the "Major Drug" list, either...the revenue gap really shows up in this grouping...
Monday, May 16, 2005
Vaccine decline must be halted, says opinion leader
16/05/2005 - During the past 50 years, the number of pharmaceutical companies making vaccines has decreased dramatically, and those that still make them have reduced resources to produce new ones, writes Phil Taylor.
link to story from in-pharma-tech
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Top 10- 20 Big Pharma
yahoo finance Big Pharma Leaders/ Laggards based on revenue
as of 15May05...
Top 10 Big Pharma based on revenue...
1- PFIZER INC [PFE]...................................$53.1 B
2- JOHNSON AND JOHNS DC [JNJ]...................$48.6 B
3- GLAXOSMITHKLINE PLC [GSK] ....................$37.9 B
4- BAYER AKTIENGES ADS [BAY] ....................$36.8 B
5- NOVARTIS AG ADS [NVS] ..........................$29.0 B
6- ROCHE HLDG LTD SPONS [RHHBY.PK] ..........$25.6 B
7- MERCK CO INC [MRK] .............................$22.7 B
8- ASTRAZENECA PLC ADS [AZN] ...................$22.1 B
9- ABBOTT LABORATORIES [ABT] ..................$20.4 B
10- BRISTOL MYERS SQIBB [BMY] ...................$19.3 B
Laggards in Total Revenue (ttm)
9- ABBOTT LABORATORIES [ABT] ...................$20.4 B
10- BRISTOL MYERS SQIBB [BMY] ...................$19.3 B
11- WYETH [WYE] ....................................$17.9 B
12- LILLY ELI CO [LLY] ..............................$14.0 B
13- SCHERING PLOUGH CP [SGP] ...................$8.7 B
14- SCHERING AKTIENGESEL [SHR] .................$6.3 B
15- ALCON INC [ACL] .................................$4.0 B
16- PRESTIGE BRAND HLGS [PBH] ................$303.3 M
17- NOVADEL PHARMA INC [NVD] .................$685.0 K
18- APPLIED NEUROSOLUTNS [APNS.OB] .........$253.0 K
I guess I'm surprised to see the overlap between the Top 10 Leaders and the Laggards...only to the extent that it shows 15 companies measure revenue in the billions...and it falls off rapidly after that.
How do we get from the largest drug companies in the world to over the counter trading in 18 spots on this list?
and we didn't stretch it to a full 20 companies...
Saturday, May 14, 2005
Technorati tag: Pharm Bio Blog
Philly Pharm Bio Blog
A Discussion Forum for people involved in the Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, and other related industries...
- We're looking for your opinion...
if you see something you're interested in, please let us know...feel free to comment, or contact us to get an invitation to post...
- News...Articles...Discussion...
pharm bio blog
pharm bio
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Thursday, May 12, 2005
Anybody checking out these stock prices???
the big boys are currently trading at:
FLR- $57.25 ,JEC- $52.96 WGII- $45.94
and the following link is a story about how the sector may move higher!!!
story link for construction sector
Anybody remember when the cuurent wisdom was an E&C stock was worth $40- buy below, sell above, go home happy...
What's going on???
Mass. Governor Sends Back Stem-Cell Bill
[UPDATE 20May05] Mass. Lawmakers Reject Stem Cell Ban
I wonder if politics may begin to impact the Boston area as one of the centers for biotech research...
story link from AP
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Pharma should eye Latin America, says PwC
I noticed this at Interphex...
Latin America shows considerable and untapped business potential for the pharmaceutical industry, according to new research conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Latin America is going pharma!!!
from in-pharma-tech
Thursday, May 05, 2005
Merck Names Richard Clark CEO, President
Merck & Co. Names Richard Clark As Its CEO, President to Succeed Raymond Gilmartin
I can think of at least one person who predicted this would happen...
Gilmartin retiring...
link
or was he ousted?
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
New technology seems to be revolving around drug delivery
Is it just me or is there a pattern developing here?
Non-injectable insulin debuts in Ecuador
Nano-particle research to benefit inhaler users
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Major advance made on DNA structure
for those of us who didn't know...
link
they're still working on DNA...
Monday, May 02, 2005
Friday, April 29, 2005
EU project aims to make nanotechnology safe
from in-pharmatech...
link
look, it's a personal interest thing...even if you find it boring...
Thanks for caring...
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Blogging Interphex...Day 3
Well, two days out of the office turns out to be all I can spare...too busy with project work to attend Day 3, so we'll just have to settle for some general information...
I ran in to someone covering Interphex yesterday...(forgive me for not getting your name...) and she suggested I contact Interphex directly for some information on the success of the event as a whole...
Tricia Hohenstein, Marketing Coordinator for the expocenter was kind enough to provide some general information regarding this year's show...although the final numbers on attendance are not in, there were 954 exhibitors with 1350 vendors. Tricia stated, via e-mail, "Last year we had over 10,000 attendees and this year was just as high or even higher...in addition we had over 115 new conference sessions, morning keynotes and many other special events. The overall impression I got from exhibitors and attendees was that they had a great show and we have had many exhibitors already re-sign for next year." Feel free to contact Tricia at thohenstein@reedexpo.com if you have any further questions...
In my opinion, it was a great event...I had a great time...and will be planning on seeing you next year...
check out a search on interphex on technorati for additional "buzz" on the web...
Blogging Interphex...Day 2
The weather looks a little iffy today, but I made the walk to Javits without getting wet.
An even better crowd today than yesterday...maybe it was Rudy Guiliani's Keynote Address on "Leadership"...I feel like Bill Murray doing his Oscar selection on an old SNL episode..."great movie, but I missed it..." same with me for the speech...people I talked to were very impressed with Rudy's sincerity and overall presentation...and I saw several people with copies of the book.
Back in the booth and got a chance to talk to a lot of people...
and that pretty much described Wednesday...yesterday was all business, seeing people you needed to see, getting info, etc., etc... today seemed much more personal, say hi to people you haven't seen in a while, catch up...find out who is working where...that sort of thing...The adult beverages were flowing pretty early, maybe that helped the mood a little bit...One person from the operations side suggested your project work load determines whether you spend the show racing around getting information you need for work, or just relaxing and visiting...makes sense to me...
I saw about 6 or 7 people with all the stamps necessary to get a shot at the Cooper...Good Luck to all!!!
Novo Nordisk got the Facility of the Year Award...designed by NNE and MT Hojgaard...I had reviewed the early entry information and didn't get any sense of how cool this project was...make sure you see the "post award" brochure...it gives a much better sense of the transparent glass approach to the interior...First Class project, very slick...
Cool Booths/ Give-aways Part 2- Several people from the office had more time (or patience) to walk the floor than I did...Notable for today were the back massage things from Advantapure and Johnson Controls had memory sticks. As far as activities, the booth with the foot massage machine got rave reviews!!! Standing up all day is a drag...
I think next year I need to set aside some more time for conferences and scouting out the activities...
That's all for now...
Blogging Interphex...Day 1
Well, it's that time of year again...Interphex!!!
Great weather for a walk to the Javits Center...sunny and warm...much better than other years...it seems much further from the train station to Javits when it is snowing out...
Working the booth- even though it is early, it seems like a good crowd...I spent the morning working in our booth WGI and, in between providing stamps for the Mini Cooper give-away, met a bunch of nice people...in particular, I noticed a real international presence...members of the Russian Trade Delegation stopped by and several visitors were from South America.
Walking the floor- I didn't get to walk the floor until the afternoon...a whole new section has been added downstairs...I didn't get down there much, maybe tomorrow. I was mostly looking for stuff I need for work, mostly the facility stuff. Had to make sure everyone has my current address information! In talking to the Vendors, everyone wants to know if you're looking in regards to a specific project. Obviously, a real live project is still a rare thing these days and everybody is looking hard...
Equipment- Kudos to the various equipment companies for the amount of big equipment they bring to display...what an effort that must be...IMA wins the prize for "Best Piece of Equipment" with the full vial washer tunnel and filling line they had on display...along with a lot of other equipment. The disposable type equipment is obviously catching on. This equipment is maturing and the amount and variety on display was impressive. I was a bit disappointed that more of the equipment wasn't running in demonstration mode. I realize this is difficult at the show, but it makes for a great presentation...consider it a missed opportunity to show your equipment in the best possible light. The mixing demonstrations in the see-through tanks were very cool.
Cool Booths/ Giveaways- What's really important?...getting the cool give-aways!!! So who had the cool stuff?...the cool activities? Let's get to the bottom of this...Aramark had cool bouncy balls- just the right size...WGI had the cool construction Matchbox trucks- cement mixer/ dump truck/ plow matching set- very popular with people with kids (and immature engineers, just kidding guys...although I've got a set on my desk)...someone had little sticky-dart things- very high cool factor. The booths with activities draw a good crowd...I saw a basketball court which looked fun, a putting green- kind of last year, though, and a arcade-style motorcycle ride game which had people standing in line...
Interphex Connects- I had trouble getting past the login on this thing, as someone else had registered me and I didn't have the right password...the e-mail help function didn't seem to work...neat idea though.
Networking Reception- WGI hosted the Networking Reception and it drew a good crowd...the band was very good, but loud if you want to have a conversation...(did that just make me sound middle-aged?) good turnout with a thought-provoking presentation...oh yeah, we auctioned off an iPod, too...several people thanked us for the reception...I guess a cold beer goes good after a long day of booth-crawling...
Travel Hint- if you come in to the city by train (from the south), don't try to park at Princeton Junction unless you get there real early...
Well this will be posted later, as this all made for a long day...
more tomorrow...
keyword: Interphex blog
interphex
Interphex
Interphex 2005
Monday, April 25, 2005
Monoclonal antibody cures West Nile virus-infected mice
A mono-clonal antibody that works!!! Good news if you live in New Jersey!!!
(our state bird is the mosquito...just kidding...)
from the Washington University of St. Louis
link
Friday, April 22, 2005
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Patent decision determines future drug R&D
Merck versus Integra LifeSciences...
Link
from in-pharmtechnologist.com
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
A Milestone in Pharmaceutical Packaging Falls...
to a re-design for Target...
link
Did this get covered in any industry magazines, etc?
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Starting Salaries Remain "Depressed" For 2004 Chemistry Grads
Just in case you think you may have picked the wrong career...
from biospace.com
link
Monday, April 18, 2005
Lilly's 1st-Quarter Profit Jumps 84% as Expenses Fall
maybe this gives the big Lilly project a boost...
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=afpt2Lp4MRXc&refer=us
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Sees Six Or Seven New Vaccines By 2010
from biospace.com
http://biospace.com/news_story.cfm?StoryID=19714720&full=1
hopefully this will generate some work...
Friday, April 15, 2005
AstraZeneca (AZN) Boss May Move Operations To Asia
from our friends at the Hindu Business Line...
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/businessline/blnus/02151711.htm
I'll bet you didn't think I had any friends at the Hindu Business Line...
DNA project to trace human steps
from our friends at the BBC...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4435009.stm
Breakthrough In Stem Cell Research
from the land down under...
from biospace.com
http://biospace.com/news_story.cfm?StoryID=19671920
Monday, April 11, 2005
Merck Announces the Death of Dr. Maurice R. Hilleman
more vaccine history type news...
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050411/115849.html?.v=1
Salk had Help Developing Polio Vaccine
and we all thought Architect's were the only one's who don't like sharing all the glory...
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050411/ap_on_sc/polio_vaccine_salk_4
Glory?, What Glory?...
Northfield Labs Phase lll Trial Continues...
for those who care, deeply, about oxygen therapeutics...
http://biospace.com/news_story.cfm?StoryID=19639320&full=1
Interphex
26th- 28th April- New York City!!!
http://interphex.com/App/homepage.cfm?moduleid=42&appname=100026
yeah, I know, I already posted this...
but I couldn't find it again...
See you there...
Friday, April 08, 2005
Hemosol gets more financing
for those who care, deeply...
http://biospace.com/news_story.cfm?StoryId=19628120
Thursday, April 07, 2005
FDA News- COX-2 NSAIDs will get new labels
from FDA.gov
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/2005/NEW01171.html
Bextra to be withdrawn from market...
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Technique to Fix DNA Flaws Is Tested
from the Washington Post.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A23637-2005Apr3?language=printer
The article makes reference to "conventional gene therapy" and it's failings and how this technique represents an improvement...
I guess if enough time goes by, even stuff that doesn't work becomes conventional...
Monday, April 04, 2005
Pfizer Inc. (PFE) Expected To Unveil $2 Billion Cost-Cutting Plan
Pfizer hits the news with tommorrow's financial report
from biospace.com
http://biospace.com/news_story.cfm?StoryId=19574820
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Merck' Creation
by Thomas Ginsberg- Philadelphia Inquirer
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/business/11295681.htm
This was published in the paper hard copy with a fairly lame picture of the West Point site...
with 2 helicopters, I would have thought they could have done better...
unfortunatly, the picture didn't make the online version of the article
Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical and Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co Unite To Form Astellas Pharma, North American Headquarters To Be In Chicago
a new addition to the Top 20 Big Pharma List...
I guess that means we should post the old Top 20 Big pharms list...
I wonder who it was that lost a spot?
from biospace.com
http://biospace.com/news_story.cfm?StoryId=19563720
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Drug makers court small firms in push to fill thinning pipelines
Here is the link from the Boston Globe... link
this is a two page article...look for the term "nichebuster" on the second page...
There's a big shift in thinking hidden in that one word...for the economy, our projects, for what we find in our medicine cabinets...
I hope we are all keeping up with our "paradigm shifts"...
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Canon To Branch Out Into Biotech Business
A new Client to call on...
from biospace.com
http://biospace.com/news_story.cfm?StoryId=19528620
Saturday, March 26, 2005
Team memberships now available...or not...
We succeed or fail based on the efforts of those around us...
this had started out as "You suceed based on the efforts of those who support you..."
with commentary on where we find ourselves in the food chain chain, above some people, below others....this gives us a focus on what we should be doing...supporting the people above us...and being mindful of the people who work for us...
then it started spinning wildly out of control, ok, not wildly, but this lead to a bunch of other points, some of them even coherent...
What happens when you are at the top of the hiearchy? Is your entire chance at success based on others?...
What about being responsible for your own success?...I should be able to impact whether or not I succeed...I think individual (read "my") effort counts, anyway...
Blah, blah, blah....
let's finish up with some sort of rousing "Go Team!!!" sort of thing...
or not...
Thursday, March 24, 2005
India: Why Biotech's Bigger Than IT
from biospace.com
http://biospace.com/news_story.cfm?StoryId=19485220
just in case we didn't have enough competition here...
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Biotech Corn Mistakenly Sold
from biospace.com
http://biospace.com/news_story.cfm?StoryId=19473720
Followup story...
Government held back infromation regarding sale of GM corn...
By Seth Borenstein, Knight Ridder Newspapers
WASHINGTON - The federal government kept it secret for three months that genetically modified corn seed was sold accidentally to some U.S. farms for four years and may have gotten into the American food supply.
The accidental use of unapproved seed became public when the scientific journal Nature published a story about it Tuesday.
The corn seed was probably safe. America's food supply and plant and animal stocks weren't harmed and remain safe to eat, according to officials of the seed company and the federal government.
But the government's secrecy about the mistake - one affecting the public food supply - raises serious concerns, according to independent experts.
Spokesmen for the Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency (news - web sites) said there was no need to notify the public because the government had determined that Bt 10 was safe. In addition, the USDA is investigating the whole incident involving the seed company, which faces up to $500,000 in fines, Agriculture Department spokesman Jim Rogers said.
"We're gathering evidence that we may need in front of a judge," Rogers said. "If there was a health risk, you would have heard about it and there would have been a recall."
Syngenta, a Swiss-based company, distributed the unapproved genetically altered corn seed, called
Bt 10. It mixed the Bt 10 with a near-identical and approved corn seed called Bt 11, company officials said Tuesday afternoon in a hastily called news conference. The Bt 10 was modified with a gene from the pesticide-like bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis.
"Most of the corn is used for industrial and animal use," Syngenta spokeswoman Sarah Hull said. "It may have gotten into the food supply, but regardless, the proteins are deemed safe and there's no food concern."
Remaining seeds have been destroyed or isolated, Hull said.
The unapproved seeds grew into 37,000 U.S. acres of corn over four years. That involves one-one-hundredth of 1 percent of the corn acreage in America, Hull said.
Sygenta's U.S. headquarters is in Greensboro, N.C. It runs its seed operation out of Golden Valley, Minn.
"I personally don't see it would be a major issue," said Kendall Lamkey, the head of Iowa State University's plant-breeding center.
But the way the federal government kept the mistake secret is alarming, Lamkey said, and may undermine public confidence in the growing field of genetically modified crops.
"The whole GMO (genetically modified organism) controversy surrounds a lack of transparency on both (the part of) the companies and regulatory agencies," said Lamkey, who served on a National Academy of Sciences (news - web sites) panel in 2002 on the environmental impact of genetically modified crops. "There's too much secrecy."
In mid-December, Syngenta told the EPA, the Agriculture Department and the Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites) about the mistake, Hull said.
EPA scientists reviewed seven packets of information from Syngenta from Jan. 7 to March 10, and "as more data came in, the confidence of our scientific determination (of no risk) increased," EPA spokeswoman Cynthia Bergman said in an e-mail. "Had there been a human health concern, we would have alerted the public immediately."
That's not acceptable, said Sheldon Krimsky, a Tufts University environmental-policy professor who's a longtime foe of genetically modified crops.
"They have both a moral and legal obligation to reveal violations," Krimsky said. "This is a government that's operating in a stealth manner that wants to keep bad news from the public."
Sunday, March 20, 2005
"Smarter Conversations..."
Yeah, I know, some of us are still working our way up to "smart" conversations...
While maybe not the most coherent explanation...(it's early morning...)
I like the general premise that in an industry of similar situations, we can focus on "smarter" conversations...
The first hump is changing the perception that this is an "extra" activity to being central or even critical to succeeding...
"Thoughts on Smarter Conversations..." as excerpted from h macleod's gapingvoid.com site...
I have been hesitant to post the link for this...because we, after all, professionals...
(look for more links I like on my personal blog...)
so, just so you know... hugh macleod's blog contains vulgar language, and some vaguely offensive material...(some of you will just love it...) the rest of you may consider yourself warned...
http://www.gapingvoid.com/Moveable_Type/archives/000939.html
Friday, March 18, 2005
Leading when you lose...
cheery thought, huh?...great way to start a post...
Things have been getting busy, which is good...
Lots of possibilities out there, which is also good...
so we bid away, and cross out fingers....hope fully we will win our share of the work...
inevitably, we will lose some of the projects we bid on...for any number of reasons...
and we work in a "winner take all..." business...no prizes for second place...
When you win, leadership is critical to accompliushing everything you commited to...
yeah, yeah, enough about leadership...like Angus said "All This Crap about Leadership..."
It's easy to lead when you're winning...
Leading when you've lost...that's the real challenge...getting a team to pick themselves up and move forward,... picking yourself up, for that matter...
what went wrong? what could we have done differently? etc. etc. etc.
That's when we see who the true leaders are...
uh, this is too depressing...
good luck to us all!!!
next topic please!!!
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Pfizer consolidates operations in Puerto Rico
cuts 390 jobs along the way...
from biospace.com
http://biospace.com/news_story.cfm?StoryId=19419520
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Did I miss the memo?
from biospace.com
Biotech: The Death of a Dream...
http://biospace.com/news_story.cfm?StoryId=19359620
The Lion Roars....
for all of you Nittany fans...(insert lion roar here...)
from biospace.com
New Tumor-Suppressor Gene Discover
http://biospace.com/news_story.cfm?StoryId=19357320
and what is a "Nittany", anyway?
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
New Merck Vaccine Facility
$40 M facility investment in Elkton...
link from biospace.com
http://biospace.com/news_story.cfm?StoryID=19303320
Friday, March 04, 2005
Biospace 2005 Career Expo
It's in Philly this year...
http://biospace.com/promo/form_careerexpo2005.cfm
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
FDA Drug Approval Times Likely To Grow; Biogen Drug Debacle May Drag Down Industry
link from biospace.com
http://biospace.com/news_story.cfm?StoryID=19222820
I saw this story covered on CNN the other day.
I thought they missed some important aspects regarding getting drugs to people who need them...by that I mean more than people who need arthritis medication when ibuprofen is already available...although I think I would have a hard timing selling that argument to someone with arthritis...
On the other hand, it's hard to justify people getting killed by their medicine...
Thinking about Operations...
I backed into thinking about "Operations" as an odd sort of afterthought regarding another design issue...
see link here http://jfdblog.blogspot.com/2005/03/living-historyand-stage-set-design.html from my other blog...
It occurred to me that Operations is treated as an afterthought all too often...
We design every aspect of a facility...do we evaluate it's operation as carefully?
We estimate facility costs in great detail...do we estimate operation costs?
I wonder if our clients could benefit from this type of information?...I think our clients could benefit from a sharper focus on Operations...
Monday, February 28, 2005
GMP Design Reviews and FDA Type C Meetings
We will add content based on your comments...Let's go...
Abstract
Outline of Paper
Conclusion
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Ten Drugs to Watch
I thought I saw this previously on the forbes site, or somewhere...
http://biospace.com/news_story.cfm?StoryId=19181120
Monday, February 21, 2005
Waist Circumference Predicts Heart Disease Risk
Now I know I'm in trouble...
link from biospace.com
http://biospace.com/news_story.cfm?StoryId=19127820
Friday, February 18, 2005
Scientists Map Important Gene Variation
link from AP News...
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=534&ncid=534&e=5&u=/ap/20050218/ap_on_he_me/gene_map
Maybe this will finally drive the biotech revolution we've all been waiting for...
Could change campaign vs. batch thinking...
making drugs for a specific patient...now that's a small batch...
Thursday, February 17, 2005
The One Page Project Status Report
This industry has the one page Project Financial Report...
Some companies' analysis of these documents is so sophisticated that the health of an entire project can be determined by looking at several numbers, with comments like "this number should be .85, not .74..."
The blood, the sweat, the efforts of an entire project team, summed up in a page of numbers...
Great stuff...if you're interested in financial status...
Wouldn't it be cool if the ENTIRE status, of the ENTIRE project, could be contained in a
"One Page Project Status Report"
Only thing I need to is figure out what should go on the page...
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
President Announces FDA Commissioner
Acting Commissioner Crawford gets the nod...
link from the White House...
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/02/20050214-3.html
never posted a link to the White House web site before...
Monday, February 14, 2005
Pfizer Inc. (PFE) Plans To Cut $2 Billion In Costs
the industry churn continues...
link from biospace.com
http://biospace.com/news_story.cfm?StoryID=19016720
New Drugs Found To Enhance Brainpower
better living through chemistry continues...
link from biospace.com
http://biospace.com/news_story.cfm?StoryId=19033220
Crick's First DNA Doodle Released
for those of you who like to sketch...
link from biospace.com
http://biospace.com/news_story.cfm?StoryId=19033920
Friday, February 11, 2005
Thanks Jim Duffy
Thanks Jim for starting this blog. We have had many discussions in the past about advancing ideas for networking, building relationships and our careers. Check out www.cgmps.com - my wife now owns it and she is driving this site. Lets get some of our past ideas rolling and turned into action - I firmly believe there is information overload in the biopharm industry and that a small group of individuals, possibly the ones using this blog, will and should lead efforts in the industry to establish clear and concise methods for establishing better work processes - some of which are outlined on www.compliancebasis.com.
First off, I would like to assemble a group of people (no more than 5) for publishing a white paper on the GMP Design Reviews and Type C Meetings with the FDA and GMP Guarantees from A/E firms. Is anyone interested?
Thursday, February 10, 2005
Electronic System For Prescriptions Sought
Interesting bedfellows work on improving healthcare...
http://biospace.com/news_story.cfm?StoryId=18980420
India: New Biotechnology Policy To Boost Research
Link from Biospace.com...
http://biospace.com/news_story.cfm?StoryId=18980720
Pfizer Inc. Job Cuts Speculation...
Link from Biospace.com
http://biospace.com/news_story.cfm?StoryId=18981120
Engineering Measurement
Engineers love to measure things..."the complexities of specifics"...
We measure physical things like process equipment to fit them into a building...
We measure abstract things like loads in order to size systems to accommodate those loads...
We measure individual capacities to determine overall system throughput...
We also measure our progress during the design projects...
Most engineering systems are based on the earned value system using the engineering man-hour as the basic unit of measurement. Success is defined as the gaining exactly 1 hour of progress for each man-hour burned.
Welcome to the world of Project Controls...
Seems easy enough...earned versus burned...
and we know, that when the project controls measurement says we are 100.00% complete...
we can declare victory...
our work here is done...
not any sooner, and certainly not any later...
The project was obviously a success...it's time for the celebration!!!
What???!!!...
You had other concerns???...other issues???...
But we're finished!!!...Didn't you see the Status Report?
I think this leads directly to a whole 'nother topic...
Do engineers measure the right things?
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
the Next Big Thing???...
been hearing a lot about pre-built modules as an execution strategy lately...
a.k.a... "Superskids"...sounds cool, doesn't it?...
I think this may be one of those hot-button topics that is perceived to be "added-value"
you know, the kind that gets you on the short list, even if you don't belong there...
or gets you past the Procurement Department screening...
or even better, one you win the project with...
even if the rationale for using this strategy is questionable...
even if you don't actually execute the project this way...
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Dolly Scientist Gets Human Cloning License
Link from Biospace.com article...
http://biospace.com/news_story.cfm?StoryId=18960520
Monday, February 07, 2005
Post Superbowl Monday...
Ouch!!!
guess we'll chalk that one up in the "gaining experience" column...
Andy Reid and Donovan go through their growing pains on national tv...
bet that's one of the reasons for the delta between their salaries and the rest of us...
Thursday, February 03, 2005
Gregoire seeks $350 million biotech fund
An article from Biospace.com orginally published in the Seattle Times...
Big tobacco money gets rolled into Biomedical Research...
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
E-Procurement Training
I just went through some preliminary training for a web based procurement system at a major pharmaceutical company here in Philly. These new bidding procedures are intended to be used for all types of procurement activities; commodity purchase, equipment purchase, subcontracted construction work, and professional services.
Part of the training session was a mock bid for an equipment purchase as a “reverse auction” bid.
The session was very interesting…but the impression I was most left with was how much cost pressure this new approach will put on all aspects of our industry…
Although the stated aim of the company using this new technology is not just cost reduction, it is obviously having a significant impact on the bottom line…
Good for them…sound like good business practice to me…
But when I hear about reverse auctions for professional services it begins to hit home a bit more…
Big Pharma spends less…Consultants get less revenue…pretty simple…
We may be left with the Quick and the Dead…
the Quick being the companies that are able (and willing) to adapt to the new realities of our business world…
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