Aramco and SABIC Re-assess Crude-to-Chemicals Complex
Saudi Aramco and SABIC are re-evaluating the scope of their proposed crude oil-to-chemicals (COTC) complex in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia.
News
AkzoNobel Buys Spain’s Titan
Dutch paints and coatings group AkzoNobel has agreed to buy the decorative paints business of Spain’s Industrias Titan for an undisclosed sum.
Lilly Covid-19 Trial Halted on Safety Concern
US medical research agency the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has paused a Phase 3 study on Eli Lilly’s Covid-19 antibody treatment on a potential safety concern.
Brenntag Buys Italy’s Comelt
Brenntag has agreed to buy Italian activated carbon company Comelt and its subsidiary Aquadepur for an undisclosed sum.
NGO Sues US over Warp Speed Contract Secrecy
NGO Public Citizen has filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), seeking to force disclosure of the terms of contracts worth billions of dollar that have been awarded to drugmakers for Covid-19 vaccine development and manufacturing.
Dow and JM Win China IP Case
Dow and Johnson Matthey (JM) have won a second court case in China over infringement of their jointly owned LP Oxo technology for producing oxo-alcohols.
Arlanxeo Sells Olefins to Mitsubishi
Saudi Aramco subisidiary Arlanxeo Canada has agreed to sell its olefins business to Diamond Petrochemicals Canada, a subsidiary of Japan’s Mitsubishi Corp.
Wacker Invests in China Site
German chemical company Wacker Chemie is investing about $100 million to build two new manufacturing plants at its site in Nanjing, China.
Barentz Buys US Maroon Group
Barentz, a Dutch distributor of life science ingredients, has agreed to acquire Maroon Group in the US for an undisclosed sum. The deal, which significantly extends Barentz’s footprint in North America, is expected to close by the end of this year.
Martin Brudermüller Is new CEFIC President
Martin Brudermüller, CEO of BASF, has been elected president of the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC) for a two-year term. In the rotating position, the 59-year-old German national, a native of Stuttgart, succeeds Daniele Ferrari, CEO of Versalis, who has held the position since October 2018.
Aenova Expands Production Capacities in Germany
The construction of a new production building of over 3,100 m2 on the company premises started in April 2020. The start of operations is planned for mid-2021.
Lummus Forms Green Circle Business
US process licensor Lummus Technology has established a new business called Green Circle that will expand its capabilities and capture new opportunities in the energy transition and circular economy.
J&J Halts Covid Vaccine Trials on Adverse Event
Johnson & Johnson has temporarily paused all clinical trials of its adenovirus-based vaccine candidates, including the recently begun US Phase 3 trial, due to safety concerns after a study participant suffered an unexplained illness. A two-dose regimen was being tested separately.
Kymos Acquires Germany’s Prolytic
Spanish contract laboratory company Kymos has boosted its European presence with the takeover of Germany’s Prolytic. Financial details were not disclosed.
Vopak and Chandra Asri in Storage Collaboration
Dutch storage operator Vopak and Indonesian petrochemical group Chandra Asri are looking to collaborate on establishing new terminal facilities to help support Indonesia’s industrial infrastructure.
Monolith Plans Carbon-free Ammonia Plant
US clean technology company Monolith Materials has announced plans build a 275,000 t/y carbon-free ammonia plant using proprietary technology.
Covis Buys US Biotech Amag Pharmaceuticals
Specialty pharma company Covis has agreed to buy US-based Amag Pharmaceuticals, boosting its portfolio of therapies for life-threatening conditions and chronic illnesses.
J&J Finalizes Vaccine Deal with EU
Through its subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, US healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson has agreed to provide 200 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine to the European Union, should the candidate win approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Samsung Super Plant to Supply AstraZeneca
Korean CMO Samsung Biologics has signed on with AstraZeneca to support the UK drugmaker’s biologics therapeutics. The company will produce bulk drug substance and drug product for its customer at its new $2 billion Plant 3 facility in Incheon, South Korea, set to go on stream in 2022.
K+S Sells Americas Salt to Stone Canyon
On the same day it confirmed market rumors about negotiating the sale of its American salt business, German potash and salt producer K+S signed the contract with Stone Canyon Industries Holdings (SCIH), subsidiary Kissner Group Holdings minority owner and CEO Mark Demetree and affiliates.
Lummus wins Uzbek Ethylene Project
Lummus Technology has been awarded a contract by Enter Engineering for the Shurtan Gas Chemical Complex in Uzbekistan. Lummus Technology’s scope includes the design and supply of four proprietary Short Residence Time (SRT) VI- and VII-type cracking furnaces, which will more than double ethylene output at the facility. The company did not disclose the complex’s ethylene capacity nor gave a timescale for the project.
Rentschler to Support BioNTech-Pfizer Vaccine
German CDMO Rentschler Biopharma has reached agreement with Pfizer and BioNTech to handle the downstream purification process for the partnership’s mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine. No price tag was disclosed for the deal that also calls for the CDMO to handle small-batch manufacturing for a range of BioNTech's other mRNA clinical-stage projects.
Bristol Myers Squibb Takes Heart Drug Firm MyoKardia
Bristol Myers Squibb is buying cardiovascular specialist MyoKardia for $13.1 billion, gaining rights to mavacamten, an experimental heart disease treatment that could have blockbuster potential.
Dow Sketches Rationalization Plans
Following up earlier announcements with few detailed disclosures, Dow has now sketched out moves it plans to take to deliver on its envisioned structural cost improvement targets. The US chemical producer, which emerged from the behemoth DowDuPont somewhat trimmed down from its pre-merger status, said the aim is to” further enhance its long-term competitiveness as the global economy recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.”
All-female Team Wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry
An all-female team comprised of Emmanuelle Charpentier from the Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens, Berlin, Germany, and Jennifer A. Doudna from the University of California in Berkeley, USA, has won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
White House Won’t Block FDA Vaccine Guidelines
The administration of US president Donald Trump said on Oct. 6 it planned to override the tightening of safety precautions for Covid-19 vaccine proposed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) two weeks ago, over fears these could delay approval. Later in the day, it did an unexplained about-turn after the FDA published the guidelines on its own website as part of a briefing for outside vaccine advisers.
Syngenta Boosts Biologicals with Valagro Buy
Swiss-based and Chinese-owned agrochemicals company Syngenta has acquired Italian biologicals firm Valagro for an undisclosed sum.
Arkema Executives Acquitted in Crosby Case
A Texas judge has acquitted Arkema and three of its executives over an explosion and fire at the company’s facility in Crosby during Hurricane Harvey in August 2017.
K+S in Americas Sale Talks with Stone Canyon
Responding to market rumors, German potash and salt company K+S has confirmed it is in “very advanced negotiations” with US-based global industrial holding company Stone Canyon Industries Holdings about a potential sale of its Americas operating unit.
J&J Said to Pay $100 Million to Settle Talc Suits
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has agreed to pay in excess of $100 million to resolve more than 1,000 class action lawsuits claiming its talc-based baby powder caused their cancer, the Bloomberg news agency has reported.
Total to Set up Bioplastics Hub in France
French energy and petrochemicals giant Total is planning to convert its Grandpuits refinery south of Paris into a zero-crude platform that will produce bioplastics as well as engage in chemical recycling of waste plastics. Two photovoltaic solar power plants will also be part of the project due to cost €500 million and be completed by 2024.
Showa Denko Merges European Units
Japan’s Showa Denko has decided to consolidate its two European subsidiaries to expand business operations in the region. Effective Jan. 1, 2021, Showa Denko Carbon Holding (SDCH) will take over Showa Denko Europe (SDE), becoming the surviving entity. It will then change its name to Showa Denko Europe.
LyondellBasell Buys Half of Sasol’s Lake Charles Site
LyondellBasell has agreed to pay $2 billion for a 50% stake in Sasol’s glitch-plagued production complex in Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA, The deal, scheduled to close at year’s end, includes joint ownership of the site’s new ethane cracker and downstream plastics production.
Roche Acquires Irish Biotech Inflazome
Swiss drugmaker Roche has acquired Irish biotech Inflazome for €380 million, said to be one of the largest deals in Irish biotech history. Headquartered in Dublin, Inflazome regards itself as a leader in the development of inflammasome inhibitors.
