A large recall of atorvastatin, a widely used cholesterol-lowering drug, was issued due to manufacturing defects that affected drug dissolution, potentially reducing its effectiveness and increasing cardiovascular risk. Patients should check if their medication is affected and consult their healthcare provider before stopping or switching drugs. The recall highlights ongoing concerns about overseas manufacturing oversight and the need for vigilant consumer awareness.
Eli Lilly plans to invest $6.5 billion to build a new pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Houston, Texas, creating over 4,600 jobs and focusing on small molecule medicines, including Lilly's first oral GLP-1 receptor agonist, to enhance domestic production and innovation.
Kodak, facing upcoming debt obligations and limited liquidity, remains confident it can manage its financial commitments by refinancing and paying down debt, despite raising concerns about its ongoing viability. The company is also transitioning into pharmaceutical manufacturing, with new production facilities nearing completion, but its shares dropped over 25% amid financial uncertainties.
Varda Space Industries secures $90 million in Series B funding following the successful return of its first drug manufacturing capsule from orbit, marking a significant milestone for the company. The startup, founded by Delian Asparouhov and Will Bruey, aims to commercialize microgravity research for pharmaceutical crystallization, leveraging low-cost rideshare launches and innovations in satellite bus manufacturing. With a focus on pharmaceuticals, Varda plans to scale its missions, drive down mission costs, and improve processing capabilities for on-board pharmaceutical reactors, with a handful of contracts already in place and the next manufacturing mission set to launch later this year.
Varda Space Industries successfully returned its W-1 capsule from space, carrying the HIV/AIDS medication ritonavir, which was processed in microgravity. The mission aimed to test the feasibility of manufacturing pharmaceuticals in space, with the space-processed ritonavir surviving reentry and providing crucial data on the effects of spaceflight on pharmaceutical production. Varda Space hopes to inspire the viability of space-processed pharmaceuticals and enable cost-effective access to next-generation therapeutics.
Varda Space Industries' W-1 spacecraft successfully landed back on Earth after months in space, capturing unedited footage of its descent through Earth's atmosphere. The capsule, a test for drug production in microgravity, produced crystals of the antiretroviral drug Ritonavir. Its time in space was spent on the Rocket Lab Photon spacecraft, and the successful mission demonstrated in-space manufacturing. The capsule and pharmaceutical sample have been transported back for analysis, with flight data to be shared with NASA and the U.S. Air Force.
A worker is missing after a "violent explosion" at Seqens, a pharmaceutical manufacturing company in Newburyport. Four workers were taken to the hospital and treated, while the fifth worker has not been found yet. The explosion caused major structural damage to the building, and firefighters and technical rescue crews haven't been able to go inside. The cause of the explosion is unknown, and authorities said there's no danger to people who live in the area and no concerns about the air quality.
A worker is missing after a "violent explosion" at Seqens, a pharmaceutical manufacturing company in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Four workers were taken to the hospital and treated, while the fifth worker has not been found yet. The explosion caused major structural damage to the building, and firefighters and technical rescue crews have not been able to go inside. The cause of the explosion is unknown, and there is no danger to people who live in the area. This is not the first fire at the facility, as there were six explosions three years ago.
