Poissy, France 1/17/07­—Environnement SA has acquired the assets of Becker Messtechnik, a developer of instruments for the continuous sampling and monitoring of dioxins. “The acquisition of Becker Messtechnik, which was moreover, one of our suppliers and which we therefore know particularly well, will strengthen our technological expertise in pollutant measuring,” said Environnement SA Chairman François […]

The nature of security threats changes from crisis to crisis, averted or not. Staying nimble is a necessity in the analytical security industry: companies must respond quickly to develop technologies to counteract new threats. Government funding, which many security companies depend on, is uncertain. In this article, IBO explores two recent responses to the uncertainty […]

Company Announcements NimbleGen Systems named Gregory McGuinness as vice president of International Business. He was previously director of European Business Development for Gene Logic. NimbleGen Systems obtained a license to the “Southern array patents” from Oxford Gene Technology (OGT) and will supply OGT with microarrays for use in its service business. Oxford Gene Technology granted […]

West Chester, PA, 1/24/07—VWR International has entered into a definitive agreement to distribute select product lines of GE Healthcare Bio-Sciences in North America, effective January 26. GE products to be offered include radiochemicals, film and certain electrophoresis, chromatography and nucleic acid purification products. “In many cases, the convenience VWR adds through logistics and access to […]

As the world’s leading iron ore exporter, Australia has benefited from the more than doubling of the price of iron ore since 2004. During the same period, China’s imports of iron ore have climbed 60%. As a result, a number of Chinese steel firms are partnering with smaller Australian iron ore producers to maintain supplies. […]

According to a report by the Statistics Bureau of Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, total R&D expenditures for Japanese fiscal year (JFY) 2005 (April 1, 2005-March 31, 2006) were ¥17,845.2 billion ($156.5 billion), up 5.4% from JFY 2004. Of this, natural sciences R&D made up ¥16,472.1 billion ($144.5 billion). R&D was 3.53% of […]

College, Station, TX 1/22/07—OI Corporation CEO, President and Chairman William W. Botts has been placed on paid administrative leave effective January 21 as the board of directors conducts a voluntary internal review of stock option grants and exercises, and related compensation procedures and accounting matters. Vice President, General Manager and board member Richard W.K. Chapman […]

Earlier this month, the FDA gave its recommendations to Congress for the next reauthorization of the Prescription Drug User Fee program. In order to support these changes, the FDA recommends that the annual user fee collections be increased $87.4 million to $392.8 million. The Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) of November 1992 first authorized […]

Upland, CA 1/11/07—UVP, a suppler of laboratory imaging systems, was acquired by private equity investment firm Carlisle Enterprises on January 2. “Carlisle’s access to capital markets, their industry knowledge and their operating expertise represent significant support for UVP’s continued growth and development,” stated Leighton Smith, president and CEO of UVP. Carlisle’s previous laboratory-related investments include […]