August 3, 2018
Amgen has broken ground for a new biomanufacturing plant that will be constructed at its West Greenwich, Rhode Island campus. The new plant, worth up to $200 million, will manufacture products for the US and global markets. Read More
Gerresheimer, a manufacturer of special glass and plastic products to the pharmaceutical industry, has agreed to acquire Sensile Medical AG, a Swiss medical technology company, in a deal worth up to EUR 350 million ($409 million). The move extends the company's business model to original equipment manufacturers for drug-delivery platforms with digital and electronic capabilities. Read More
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has announced it is expecting a 30% loss in staff as it moves its headquarters to Amsterdam, a move it is making as part of its preparations for the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union (i.e., Brexit). The EMA plans to launch the next phase of its business continuity plan by October to reflect the anticipated staff loss and cutback in certain activities. Read More
The European Commission (EC) has approved Pfizer’s Trazimera (trastuzumab), a biosimilar to Roche’s Herceptin (trastuzumab), for treating certain types of breast and gastric cancers. Herceptin had global 2017 sales of CHF 7.01 billion ($7.5 billion).  Read More
Bayer has agreed to sell its global prescription dermatology unit to LEO Pharma, a Denmark-based specialist in dermatology care. The portfolio to be acquired includes branded topical prescription treatments for acne, fungal skin infections, and rosacea (a skin disease) as well as topical steroids. The products to be acquired had 2017 turnover of more than EUR 280 million ($324 million). Read More
A federal appeals court has granted in part a motion to expedite Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories’ appeal of a preliminary injunction (PI) that was granted to Indivior, a Slough, UK-based pharmaceutical company, over Dr. Reddy’s generic of Indivior’s drug for treating opioid dependence. The PI prohibits Dr. Reddy’s from selling or commercializing the drug.  Read More
Wockhardt, a Mumbai, India-headquartered pharmaceutical company, has inaugurated a new manufacturing facility in Dubai for producing new antibiotics. The facility is designed for producing and packaging sterile dry-powder drugs for injection. Read More
Amgen has announced transition plans for two of its executive vice presidents (EVPs), Sean E. Harper, MD, EVP of Research and Development and Anthony C. Hooper, currently EVP of Global Commercial Operations. Read More
The FDA has awarded a total of $6 million to three universities ( Rutgers University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Georgia Institute of Technology) to study and recommend improvements for continuous manufacturing for drug substances and drug products. Read More
There will be no issue of Top Industry News on August 10. The next issue of Top Industry News will be August 17.
Top Industry News is published and distributed by the Drug, Chemical & Associated Technologies Association (DCAT). The DCAT organization recognizes its members have minimal time to keep up with the continuous flow of news covering this dynamic industry. To help ensure our members never miss the most important stories impacting the global pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, we will deliver each Friday, the week's Top Industry News, as selected by DCAT Editorial Director Patricia Van Arnum. For more information, visit www.dcat.org .