October 2007

Happy 25th, Humulin

October 29, 2007

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the FDA’s approval of the first drug produced by biotechnology, Genentech’s Humulin. I often use Humulin as a case study for biotechnology, because Genentech’s bacterial-fermentation approach to making insulin was revolutionary compared to the previous methods of harvesting insulin from pig pancreas. Thanks for OpenMarket for reminding me of [...]

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Exubera: The road to hell is paved with good intentions

October 25, 2007

I’ve been waiting to write up the Exubera story for the next edition of Building Biotechnology, and the story just keeps getting better. Exubera is was Pfizer’s innovative answer to the diabetes drug market. The market is so saturated with competitive products, that the only way to capture significant market share is to innovate. Either [...]

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Biotech for Turkey

October 22, 2007

I’ll be speaking at the Biotech for Turkey conference in Istanbul on November 7th. This conference, convened by Bosfor Biotech Partners, will cover global biotechnology strategies and developments in Turkey. For more details, contact Bosfor Biotech at the URL above or browse the conference schedule: Biotech for Turkey

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Journal of Commercial Biotechnology

October 10, 2007

A new issue of the Journal of Commercial Biotechnology has just been posted. Drop me a line if you would like to make a submission. Volume 13, Issue 4 Editorial Editorial PDF Neil Henderson Articles Is ‘evergreening’ a cause for concern? A legal perspective PDF Scott Parker, Kevin Mooney Exploiting the business opportunities in biotech [...]

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Pharma to support the international space station?

October 8, 2007

Wired has an article on the potential for the pharmaceutical industry to support the international space station, using the microgravity environment to grow better quality crystals than can be grown on earth, in less time. Protein crystals can be used to improve drug discovery, but the distance from crystal to drug is very long. Much [...]

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Drug Patent Expirations in October 2007

October 2, 2007

Courtesy of DrugPatentWatch.com: Drug Patent Expirations in October 2007*Drugs may be covered by more than one patent Tradename Applicant Generic Name Patent Number Patent Expiration CLARINEX Schering desloratadine 4,659,716 OCT 01,2007 CLARINEX Schering Plough desloratadine 4,659,716 OCT 01,2007 CLARINEX D 24 HOUR Schering desloratadine; pseudoephedrine sulfate 4,659,716 OCT 01,2007 CLARINEX-D 12 HOUR Schering desloratadine; pseudoephedrine [...]

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