Expansions

Enhancing silicon production
Two new production facilities for silicone polymers and sealants have been commissioned by Wacker at its Nünchritz (Germany) site. The expansion was initiated for the company to meet the rising demand for its silicon products. It is also hoping to turn the facility into the world's largest and most modern silicone production sites.

http://www.wacker.com/

Read more at: http://www.ptemag.com/azopharma

Industry

Weathering the financial storm

Big Pharma will blossom in the credit crunch

The principal impact of the credit crunch on the corporate world is the abrupt loss of cheap debt that companies have been exploiting since the late 1990s. However, many large pharmaceutical companies wisely stayed away from this game as the average net debt as a proportion of capital employed for the top 20 pharma companies is only 6%. Chris Phelps, Head of Company Analysis, says: "Pharma companies are not only expected to weather the financial storm successfully, but to also use this period to exploit their unique cash strength by embarking on an acquisition spree."

Unfortunately, the outlook is much bleaker for small biotech players. Biotechnology companies' ready access to capital and funding has dried up almost overnight and, according to Phelps, Big Pharma will use its cash piles to swoop repeatedly to acquire substantial biotech targets. "Perhaps the clearest example of this intent is that Pfizer currently holds more than $25 billion in cash and short-term investments," says Chris Phelps. "It may well be that the credit crunch provides Big Pharma with exactly the opportunity it needs to rebuild its ailing pipelines.

Read more at: http://www.ptemag.com/creditcrunch

R&D

Get it right first time!

A new technology that provides high-quality images of the crystallization process could mark a significant step towards achieving a 'right first time' approach to drug manufacture, according to engineers at the University of Leeds (UK). The PAT tool characterizes particle shapes by using Perdix's In-Situ Particle Viewer probe in combination with Malvern's Morphologi software.

"Essentially, we're filming inside the reactor so you can see exactly what's happening as crystals are forming — and we've shown that we can do this on a large scale," says Professor Kevin Roberts of the University's Institutes of Process R&D and Particle Science and Engineering. "We can help the manufacturing process become faster and more efficient, while also shortening the time it takes drugs to reach the market."

The crystallization of drug compounds from solution is a critical part of the lengthy pharmaceutical processing chain because the size and shape of drug compound crystals have a significant effect on product purity and quality. Until now, little research has been conducted into how crystal formation can be monitored and controlled. "The development of new technologies and processes to ensure drug manufacture is lean and efficient is crucial. Getting it right first time requires an in depth understanding of each of the component parts of the manufacturing chain." says Roberts. "We're working towards developing high-quality Six Sigma manufacturing processes for the pharma sector; very much mirroring the approaches already adopted by high-tech sectors such as microelectronics."

http://www.leeds.ac.uk/