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Pharma companies spend more after Phase II
development, measurement, multi-scale modelling and information technology, and a variety of research links, ‘IntelliSense’ will help produce a next generation of sensors and control solutions, the companies claim.
PHARMA COMPANIES SPEND MORE AFTER PHASE II According to a recent report, “Pharmaceutical Product Commercialization: Pre-Clinical to Phase III Resource Allocation” published by Cutting Edge Information, based in North Carolina, USA, when a brand reaches Phase II of development, pharmaceutical companies begin to pour more money into commercial spending. Commercial spending and staffing stays in check in preclinical through Phase I development, the report suggests. Companies tend to be more cautious with staffing and funds during these early stages regardless of whether they are promoting a future blockbuster drug or a small, niche brand. However, once developers begin to feel comfortable with their drugs’ clinical performance, commercial outlook, and peak sales projections (this usually happens around Phase II), spending and staffing rise substantially, the report says. At this point it becomes obvious which companies plan to promote a blockbuster and which companies are expecting to release a smaller brand. The difference in commercial spending between average blockbuster and niche brands in Phase II is US$7.29 million. “By Phase II, when drug developers begin to understand their brands’ clinical and commercial strengths and weaknesses, companies tend to spend more in line with their
Filtration Industry Analyst
drug’s commercial prospects or shortcomings,” says Jon Hess, project team leader at Cutting Edge Information.
GL&V ACQUIRES BRACKETT GREEN Groupe Laperrière & Verreault Inc has closed the transaction to acquire all shares of the British company Brackett Green Ltd and its US subsidiary Brackett Green USA, Inc from Fabricom SA. The cost of the transaction is financed using GL&V’s available cash and revolving line of credit, the company says. The Brackett Green group specialises in advanced screening and filtration technologies for water used by power plants, refineries and various other types of industries, and also offers a range of municipal and industrial wastewater treatment equipment. The group employs 170 people and owns a plant in Colchester, UK, responsible for the manufacture of equipment which is used on raw water intakes for power, desalination, petrochemical and industrial plants. The US subsidiary operates an engineering, sales and service centre in Houston serving a broad North American customer base. GL&V’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Laurent Verreault indicated that this acquisition will increase considerably the Water Treatment Group’s revenues. “Brackett Green meets our acquisition criteria in every respect, beginning with a good potential for return on investment and the creation of shareholder value. This acquisition fits perfectly into our existing operations and strategic orientations, as it provides GL&V with complementary technologies that are recognized for their reliability and performance, excellent
brand awareness and a significant installed equipment base comprising some 9,000 units in operation in 85 countries worldwide.”
HOTEL AIR QUALITY A “CONCERN” FOR TRAVELLERS According to a recent US survey conducted on behalf of Kimberly-Clark Filtration Products, more than twothirds of frequent travellers are concerned about air quality in the US’s hotel rooms. Frequent travellers (defined as having stayed in a hotel at least 6 days within the past year) are reported to have identified odours (68% of respondents) and “stuffiness” (59% of respondents) as being the most frequently encountered indoor air quality (IAQ) problems. “It’s estimated that Americans spend about 90% of their time indoors,” says Alexandra Duran, marketing manager, Kimberly-Clark Filtration Products. “We move from our air-tight homes to offices with windows that don’t open and other public spaces and accommodations in which people are at the mercy of a piece of equipment to filter out harmful air contaminants. Because poor IAQ has been linked to serious health problems and employee productivity issues, it's important to look for ways to minimize exposure to bad indoor air.” As many as 60% of the frequent travellers surveyed said they had experienced a range of problems – such as poor sleep, runny or stuffy nose, dry nose, sneezing, headache, cough and sore throat – as a result of staying in a hotel room with poor indoor air quality, while 42% of the survey respondents had actually complained to hotel management about air quality conditions in their hotel
rooms. Meanwhile, more than half of frequent travelers surveyed say they would become loyal customers of hotels that provide advanced in-room air filtration to minimize allergens, dust and odours.
HIGH TEMPERATURE EVENT TO COVER FABRICS The 8th International Conference on High Temperature Filtration, which will take place not far from Salzburg, Austria, will cover new developments and trends for filter fabrics and flue gas treatments, with a special focus on the improved performance of fibre blends with regards to filtration efficiency, the organisers say. Besides using high tech coatings or fibres of different titres to increase filtration efficiency, a way of achieving even better results could be the blending of fibres produced from different polymers, the organisers add. Material blends of polyimide fibres with PTFE fibres are reportedly replacing expensive and inefficient 100% PTFE material. PPS and polyimide blends are almost a standard product in coal fired boilers especially when low pressure drops, easy dust cake removal, long service life and low emission rates have to be met, the organisers report. Even polyimide blends with low cost fibres such as polyester are a useful in cement plants where mills are running at low capacities, due to the use of filter bags with low air permeabilities. As well as covering these topics, the conference will include a presentation from the Technical University of Vienna who is running an extensive research programme on fibre
3
NEWS
November 2005
PHARMA COMPANIES SPEND MORE AFTER PHASE II According to a recent report, “Pharmaceutical Product Commercialization: Pre-Clinical to Phase III Resource Allocation” published by Cutting Edge Information, based in North Carolina, USA, when a brand reaches Phase II of development, pharmaceutical companies begin to pour more money into commercial spending. Commercial spending and staffing stays in check in preclinical through Phase I development, the report suggests. Companies tend to be more cautious with staffing and funds during these early stages regardless of whether they are promoting a future blockbuster drug or a small, niche brand. However, once developers begin to feel comfortable with their drugs’ clinical performance, commercial outlook, and peak sales projections (this usually happens around Phase II), spending and staffing rise substantially, the report says. At this point it becomes obvious which companies plan to promote a blockbuster and which companies are expecting to release a smaller brand. The difference in commercial spending between average blockbuster and niche brands in Phase II is US$7.29 million. “By Phase II, when drug developers begin to understand their brands’ clinical and commercial strengths and weaknesses, companies tend to spend more in line with their
Filtration Industry Analyst
drug’s commercial prospects or shortcomings,” says Jon Hess, project team leader at Cutting Edge Information.
GL&V ACQUIRES BRACKETT GREEN Groupe Laperrière & Verreault Inc has closed the transaction to acquire all shares of the British company Brackett Green Ltd and its US subsidiary Brackett Green USA, Inc from Fabricom SA. The cost of the transaction is financed using GL&V’s available cash and revolving line of credit, the company says. The Brackett Green group specialises in advanced screening and filtration technologies for water used by power plants, refineries and various other types of industries, and also offers a range of municipal and industrial wastewater treatment equipment. The group employs 170 people and owns a plant in Colchester, UK, responsible for the manufacture of equipment which is used on raw water intakes for power, desalination, petrochemical and industrial plants. The US subsidiary operates an engineering, sales and service centre in Houston serving a broad North American customer base. GL&V’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Laurent Verreault indicated that this acquisition will increase considerably the Water Treatment Group’s revenues. “Brackett Green meets our acquisition criteria in every respect, beginning with a good potential for return on investment and the creation of shareholder value. This acquisition fits perfectly into our existing operations and strategic orientations, as it provides GL&V with complementary technologies that are recognized for their reliability and performance, excellent
brand awareness and a significant installed equipment base comprising some 9,000 units in operation in 85 countries worldwide.”
HOTEL AIR QUALITY A “CONCERN” FOR TRAVELLERS According to a recent US survey conducted on behalf of Kimberly-Clark Filtration Products, more than twothirds of frequent travellers are concerned about air quality in the US’s hotel rooms. Frequent travellers (defined as having stayed in a hotel at least 6 days within the past year) are reported to have identified odours (68% of respondents) and “stuffiness” (59% of respondents) as being the most frequently encountered indoor air quality (IAQ) problems. “It’s estimated that Americans spend about 90% of their time indoors,” says Alexandra Duran, marketing manager, Kimberly-Clark Filtration Products. “We move from our air-tight homes to offices with windows that don’t open and other public spaces and accommodations in which people are at the mercy of a piece of equipment to filter out harmful air contaminants. Because poor IAQ has been linked to serious health problems and employee productivity issues, it's important to look for ways to minimize exposure to bad indoor air.” As many as 60% of the frequent travellers surveyed said they had experienced a range of problems – such as poor sleep, runny or stuffy nose, dry nose, sneezing, headache, cough and sore throat – as a result of staying in a hotel room with poor indoor air quality, while 42% of the survey respondents had actually complained to hotel management about air quality conditions in their hotel
rooms. Meanwhile, more than half of frequent travelers surveyed say they would become loyal customers of hotels that provide advanced in-room air filtration to minimize allergens, dust and odours.
HIGH TEMPERATURE EVENT TO COVER FABRICS The 8th International Conference on High Temperature Filtration, which will take place not far from Salzburg, Austria, will cover new developments and trends for filter fabrics and flue gas treatments, with a special focus on the improved performance of fibre blends with regards to filtration efficiency, the organisers say. Besides using high tech coatings or fibres of different titres to increase filtration efficiency, a way of achieving even better results could be the blending of fibres produced from different polymers, the organisers add. Material blends of polyimide fibres with PTFE fibres are reportedly replacing expensive and inefficient 100% PTFE material. PPS and polyimide blends are almost a standard product in coal fired boilers especially when low pressure drops, easy dust cake removal, long service life and low emission rates have to be met, the organisers report. Even polyimide blends with low cost fibres such as polyester are a useful in cement plants where mills are running at low capacities, due to the use of filter bags with low air permeabilities. As well as covering these topics, the conference will include a presentation from the Technical University of Vienna who is running an extensive research programme on fibre
3
NEWS
November 2005