Expert interview - 08/03/2023 How do new active substances from university research reach patients? Access to capital remains one of the biggest challenges in the life sciences sector. Over the last two years, the Baden-Württemberg Center for Academic Drug Discovery (BWCAD2) has successfully implemented a model of cooperation between academic drug research and industry for the development and validation of therapeutic concepts. Dr. Barbara Jonischkeit spoke with the initiator and leading figure behind the BWCAD2 project, Prof. Dr. Stefan Lauferhttps://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/how-do-new-active-substances-university-research-reach-patients
Personalised medicine - 16/09/2021 Pharmacogenomics enables individualised drug prescription Every person is unique, and their reaction to medications can be just as individual. For this reason, unexpected side effects occur time and again with common drugs, sometimes with life-threatening consequences. At the Dr. Margarete Fischer-Bosch Institute for Clinical Pharmacology (IKP) in Stuttgart, the influence of hereditary factors on these harmful reactions is being investigated in order to enable individualised therapies.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/pharmacogenomics-enables-individualised-drug-prescription
Press release - 17/06/2020 CureVac Receives Regulatory Approval from German and Belgian Authorities to Initiate Phase 1 Clinical Trial of its SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Candidate CureVac AG, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of transformative medicines based on optimized mRNA, today announced that the German Health Authority Paul-Ehrlich-Institute (PEI) and the Belgian Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (FAMHP) have approved the Phase 1 clinical trial for its vaccine program to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection. The trial will be conducted in Germany and Belgium.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/CureVac-Receives-Regulatory-Approval-from-German-and-Belgian-Authorities-to-Initiate-Phase-1-Clinical-Trial-of-its-SARS-CoV-2-Va
Press release - 13/05/2020 Drug counterfeiters use fear of corona epidemic Falsified chloroquine tablets identified in Africa - University of Tübingen supports local pharmacists in the analysis.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/arzneimittelfaelscher-nutzen-angst-vor-corona-epidemie
Company profile - 19/12/2018 With DiHeSys into integrated digital healthcare The founders and partners of DiHeSys have big ambitions: "We have to build a complete ecosystem around the patient," says Dr. Markus Dachtler, managing director of DiHeSys. The company develops products and services for an industry in transition, provides answers to trends such as personalized medicine, 2D- and 3D-printing technologies and platform technologies. The company’s motto: no isolated solutions, but a comprehensive range of…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/with-dihesys-into-integrated-digital-healthcare
Article - 07/06/2017 Industry 4.0: Pfizer opens continuous manufacturing plant in Freiburg On 23rd May 2017, Pfizer officially opened a modern continuous manufacturing plant in Freiburg, thus setting a new technological standard for tablet production. A groundbreaking ceremony to inaugurate Pfizer’s new PCMM plant was held at the same time. Pfizer is investing around 50 million euros in the Freiburg facility. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/industry-40-pfizer-opens-continuous-manufacturing-plant-in-freiburg
Article - 24/05/2017 Ralf Reski: from moss to humans Prof. Dr. Ralf Reski conducts basic research at the University of Freiburg. But this is not all the well-known plant biotechnologist does. He also wants his ideas to become concrete products. This is why he established Greenovation Biotech GmbH, a company which produces novel drugs in mosses. The company’s first moss-produced drug candidate – Moss-aGal – a recombinant form of human α-galactosidase, is now being tested in a phase I clinical trial.…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/ralf-reski-from-moss-to-humans
Article - 26/11/2015 Chrystelle Mavoungou: how students get to the heart of the drug discovery process Chrystelle Mavoungou is a chemist who teaches regulatory affairs and quality in pharmaceutical production at the Biberach University of Applied Sciences’ Faculty of Biotechnology. While the public might consider these issues difficult to deal with, students and early career pharmaceutical biotechnologists quickly learn that issues like these take them right to the heart of the drug discovery process.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/chrystelle-mavoungou-how-students-get-to-the-heart-of-the-drug-discovery-process
Article - 12/10/2015 Ulm researchers are writing a new chapter of the thalidomide story Thalidomide, which was sold in Germany in the late 1950s under the trade name Contergan, is mainly known for having caused one of the biggest pharmaceutical scandals in Germany. However, what was once a sleeping pill is increasingly being used as an immunomodulatory drug for treating tumours of the haematopoietic system, something that is not yet widely known. Dr. Jan Krönke is the head of a junior research group at Ulm University Hospital…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/ulm-researchers-are-writing-a-new-chapter-of-the-thalidomide-story
Overview Pharmaceutics The latest articles, press releases and dossiers on pharmaceutics in Baden-Württemberghttps://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/pharma
Press release - 30/04/2013 Impressions from the 2013 BIO International Convention in Chicago A trade fair turns 20 and an industrial sector is coming of age. Where does BIO stand today? The number of exhibitors has slightly decreased the conference is characterised by general themes and trends and partnering has become the most important and indispensable part of the global event for biotechnology. What was once a gold rush atmosphere has given way to an experienced self-confidence about the economic importance of biotechnology. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/impressions-from-the-2013-bio-international-convention-in-chicago
Article - 22/10/2012 syneed imaging: precise visualisation of functional tissue properties Functional medical imaging modalities are of great significance in modern medical diagnostics. Existing ways of diagnosing diseases are now being expanded with the arrival of the innovative parameter imaging method. syneed imaging uses proprietary highly sensitive software for the analysis of dynamic image data. This software complements standard methods such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging and increases the significance of…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/syneed-imaging-precise-visualisation-of-functional-tissue-properties
Press release - 28/09/2012 Safer, more effective and innovative medical devices Ranging from simple sticking plasters to the most sophisticated life-supporting machines medical devices and in vitro diagnostic medical devices are central to our health and quality of life. To ensure that these devices serve the needs and ensure the safety of European citizens the European Commission proposed two Regulations which are fit for purpose more transparent and better adapted to scientific and technological progress.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/safer-more-effective-and-innovative-medical-devices
Press release - 30/05/2012 Valuable Discussions at the Third International DDI Workshop The organisation team of the Third International DDI (drug-drug interactions) Workshop has expressed great satisfaction with the course of the scientific meeting. The participants of the DDI Workshop commended the very high scientific level of the presentations and valuable and inspiring discussions of the different topics. Without a doubt, the DDI Workshop at Marbach Castle is a well established platform for the annual exchange between experts,…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/valuable-discussions-at-the-third-international-ddi-workshop
Article - 12/12/2010 Pharmacovigilance: safety becomes a principle Tübingen-based CenTrial GmbH established in 2000 is a provider and manager of clinical trials. Pharmacovigilance is an important segment of the companys work CenTrial supports its clinical trial clients in all phases of clinical drug development related to drug safety up until the time a drug enters the market and beyond. The services offered range from the analysis of data to the complete design of the safety management process including…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/pharmacovigilance-safety-becomes-a-principle
Article - 11/12/2010 Opportunities, benefits and risks are not so different from each other Adverse drug reactions that compromise the safety of drugs do not necessarily mean that the development of a pharmaceutically active agent is immediately stopped. The case of a pharmaceutical agent initially developed by Tübingen-based c-a-i-r biosciences GmbH shows how an undesired event can actually lead to new opportunities. The original agent is now being further developed on a different basis from the original plans. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/opportunities-benefits-and-risks-are-not-so-different-from-each-other
Article - 30/11/2010 Off-label use in children: the problem is known but improvement happens step by slow step The majority of drugs prescribed to children and adolescents have not been specifically licensed for their use. The majority of drugs have been tested and formulated for adults. This so-called off-label practice is associated with greater risks than those one would expect in medicinal therapy. We talked to Michael Kölch senior consultant in the Department of Paediatric and Adolescent PsychiatryPsychotherapy at Ulm University Hospital about this…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/off-label-use-in-children-the-problem-is-known-but-improvement-happens-step-by-slow-step
Article - 29/11/2010 CYP2D6 and the oestrogen receptor The medicinal adjuvant therapy of breast cancer is a good example of how important it is being aware that different patients metabolise drugs differently. This knowledge plays a key role in the prescription of effective drugs at the correct dose and in preventing adverse reactions and interactions with concomitant drugs.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/cyp2d6-and-the-oestrogen-receptor
Dossier - 29/11/2010 Drug safety and the difficulty of making ends meet Everybody wants safe drugs – manufacturers, doctors and patients. However, many dangers, both avoidable and unavoidable, make medicinal treatment a high-risk process, despite all best efforts and assertions. Not enough information on drug-related risks is available, and the estimated number of adverse drug reactions that go unreported is quite high.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/drug-safety-and-the-difficulty-of-making-ends-meet
Article - 29/11/2010 Adverse skin reactions - more than just skin deep Severe skin reactions such as toxic epidermal necrolysis TEN and Stevens-Johnson syndrome SJS are caused by drugs that have originally been developed for the treatment or alleviation of other diseases. In some cases the consumption of these drugs can be fatal. The Centre for Documentation of Severe Skin Reactions dZh in Freiburg has been collecting information on rare skin diseases for around 20 years.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/adverse-skin-reactions-more-than-just-skin-deep
Article - 29/11/2010 Going through the eye of a needle: Translating research findings into individualised patient treatment Anyone attempting to assess the importance of pharmacogenetics for drug safety will inevitably end up considering the ambiguous responses of Radio Eriwan. It is true that genetic tests are theoretically able to predict whether an inactive enzyme affects the metabolism of a drug and whether it is necessary to apply a different drug dose. But how can this knowledge be applied in everyday clinical settings when patients with this inactive enzyme are…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/going-through-the-eye-of-a-needle-translating-research-findings-into-individualised-patient-treatmen
Article - 24/11/2010 Choosing natural drugs is not without risk Germans like natural solutions and show a marked preference for medicines made from St. John’s wort, valerian, devil’s claw or Marian Thistle. However, when taking herbal medicines people are well advised to be cautious: "herbal" does not automatically mean safe, warns Thomas Simmet, pharmacologist from the University Hospital of Ulm.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/choosing-natural-drugs-is-not-without-risk
Dossier - 15/11/2010 Evidence-based medicine – between magic formula and a doctor's strait jacket Evidence-based medicine revolves around the principle that doctors only use medications and therapies whose efficacy and usefulness has been reliably proven in scientific studies. The idea behind evidence-based medicine is to improve the quality of medical treatment as well as enable the more rational usage of limited resources in the healthcare sector. However many critics believe that evidence-based medicine has methodological limits in…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/evidence-based-medicine-between-magic-formula-and-a-doctor-s-strait-jacket
Press release - 08/06/2010 International workshop on drug-drug interactions with high acceptance and great benefit More than 60 experts from 11 countries and 5 participants at the industry exhibition joined the meeting on DDIs at Marbach Castle Lake Constance in Germany. New methods and approaches for the investigation of drug candidates have become necessary due to the increasing complexity of this scientific area. Changes in the existing guideline on drug interactions must follow. Recently the European Medicines Agency EMA published a draft of the revised…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/international-workshop-on-drug-drug-interactions-with-high-acceptance-and-great-benefit
Article - 22/03/2010 IBR Inc.: Dual strategy for safe and effective drugs IBR Inc. a science-based provider of preclinical and clinical services specialises in inflammatory diseases. The analyses it carries out for the pharmaceutical and biotech sector help exclude potential side effects of specific drug candidates early in the development process. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/ibr-inc-dual-strategy-for-safe-and-effective-drugs