pharma development Latest News

The changing times requires bold action from pharmaceuticals, particularly independent contract drug development firms. UPM Pharmaceuticals fills this requirement.

Seattle Genetics (Bothell, Washington) has begun a Phase IIb clinical trial of its monoclonal antibody SGN-40 as an adjunct to second-line therapy for relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

eResearchTechnology (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is to acquire Covance’s (Princeton, New Jersey) centralised electrocardiographic business for up to $49.2 million.

Private equity firm Sequoia Capital has invested Rs 1 billion ($25 million) in Indian CRO GVK Biosciences (Hyderabad). GVK BIO plans to use the funds to build a state-of-the-art campus on a 25-acre site at Hyderabad.

Indian CRO Manipal AcuNova (Bangalore) and its German counterpart ECRON (Frankfurt) have signed a definitive merger agreement. The combined company, ECRON AcuNova, will have 265 employees

MDS Pharma Services (King of Prussia, Pennsylvania) has expanded its central lab operations in China, moving to a new, 25,000 sq ft facility near Beijing airport.

Quintiles Transnational (Research Triangle Park, North Carolina) has acquired Central American CRO Bio-Trials. The purchase was made by Quintiles’ Latin American subsidiary, based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Phase Forward (Waltham, Massachusetts), which provides data management systems for clinical trials and drug safety, has acquired privately held Green Mountain Logic for $5.25 million in cash.

India is expected to host 30% of the world's contract research within the next 10-15 years, driven by the attractions of low cost and high quality standards, says the India Brand Equity Foundation, IBEF.

Matrix Group (Hyderabad, India) and ethica Clinical Research (Montreal, Canada) have formed a joint venture, ethicamatrix CRO Pvt Ltd, to manage contract research services in India.

United BioSource Corporation (UBC, Bethesda) has acquired Caro Research, which provides simulation technologies to assess healthcare costs & benefits & an ownership interest in ClinResearch.

AstraZeneca has opened its first clinical pharmacology unit in China as part of a co-operative agreement with Peking University Third Hospital.