BioPharm International Editors

Enhanced sensitivity and ultra-high detection speed provide improved robustness and operability.

Pall has introduced a 24-well filter plate that can perform cell clarification and sterilization in one step.

The company has provided updates on its COVID-19 tests under development with Adeptrix and Cytiva, respectively.

The refurbishment provides enhanced glass melting power, improved glass distribution, and the production of transparent and amber type I glass bottles to meet the increase in demand for glass vials for vaccines and life-saving medicines.

Honeywell Forge Cybersecurity Suite’s improved industrial-grade remote access and added protection and risk monitoring aids remote operations.

The companies are entering into a license agreement to provide CSL Behring with exclusive global rights to etranacogene dezaparvovec, uniQure’s investigational gene therapy for patients with hemophilia B.

FDA is placing emphasis on developing guidance documents more quickly and efficiently, and agency officials expect that such approaches may continue in the future.

The company’s oral COVID-19 vaccine has been chosen to participate in a non-human primate challenge study organized and funded by Operation Warp Speed.

The partnership combines Malvern’s physicochemical characterization expertise and Concept Life Sciences’ chemistry and analytical services to provide services that focus on analytics, know-how, instrumentation, and expert support to customers.

The test results could potentially be used in the development of COVID-19 vaccines and the screening of convalescent plasma for prophylactic and therapeutic use.

The updated facility is 60,000 square feet and is equipped with bioprocessing capabilities ranging from 10L to 2000L.

Catalent will offer vial filling, packaging capacity, and additional staffing at the site to support the production of the initial 100 million doses of the vaccine candidate to supply the US market beginning in the third quarter of 2020.

The company has expanded its laboratory test portfolio with five new molecular, serology, and functional assays for COVID-19 vaccine and therapy development programs.

Emer Cooke, currently the director of the Regulation and Prequalification Department at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, has been nominated by EMA’s management board to be the new executive director of EMA.

Symbiosis Pharmaceutical Services has signed a supply agreement with AstraZeneca for the sterile manufacture of AZD1222, a COVID-19 recombinant adenovirus vaccine, to be used in clinical trials.

The European Medicines Agency’s (EMA’s) Committee for Human and Medicinal Products (CHMP) has recommended Veklury (remdesivir) be granted conditional marketing authorization in the European Union for the treatment of COVID-19.

Biotechnology company, ILC Therapeutics, has revealed that it has entered into a research partnership with the University of St Andrews aimed at progressing a therapeutic drug that can treat COVID-19 to clinical trials.

Inovio received a $71-million contract from the US Department of Defense to scale up manufacture of its Cellectra smart device to deliver its DNA vaccine.

The companies are expanding their existing collaboration and license agreement to develop mRNA vaccines for infectious diseases.

Members of the European Commission, EMA, and FDA met in a virtual two-day meeting to discuss ongoing joint initiatives and upcoming priorities.

The agency will be waiving fees for scientific advice for academia developing orphan drugs.

The guidance document provides recommendations for CGMP expectations to prevent contamination of drugs and exclude sick workers from participating in drug manufacturing.

The company will invest $75 million into its Canton, MA, facility to expand its viral vector, gene therapy, and contract development and manufacturing capabilities.

The decision was made in order to give exhibitors enough time to adjust their plans in the wake of the continuing spread of COVID-19.

The company will invest EUR 610 million (USD$682 million) into a new vaccine production site and research center in France.

Neurocrine will develop and commercialize seven of Takeda’s pipeline programs, including three clinical-stage assets for schizophrenia, treatment-resistant depression, and anhedonia.

Corning will use BARDA funding to expand US manufacturing capacity for pharmaceutical tubing and vials made from Valor glass.

Cobra Biologics has signed a supply agreement to provide GMP manufacturing for AstraZeneca’s AZD1222 COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

The guidance provides recommendations on statistical considerations to address the impact of COVID-19 on meeting trial objectives for clinical trials conducted during the pandemic.

The International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities met again on June 12 to discuss policy approaches to the COVID-19 pandemic.