AstraZeneca has temporarily paused Phase 2/3 global clinical trials of the adenovirus-viral vector-based Covid-19 candidate it is developing for Oxford University. The Anglo-Swedish drugmaker initially cited “a serious suspected adverse reaction” in a participant without revealing details.
Shell has announced plans to replace the ethylene steam cracker furnaces at its petrochemicals complex in Moerdijk, the Netherlands, in a move that will reduce the site’s annual greenhouse gas emissions by 10%.
DSM has formed a 50:50 joint venture with Dutch industrial manufacturing group VDL Groep to produce medical facemasks and components in the Netherlands.
With some potential Covid-19 vaccine makers suggesting they could have a candidate ready for approval and maybe even deployment this autumn, concerns are arising that a doubting public could shun inoculation.
Air Liquide has entered into a long-term agreement with Eastman Chemical for the supply of additional gaseous oxygen, nitrogen and syngas. The extra volumes will support Eastman’s growth and production in Longview, Texas, USA.
To help meet surging demand for Covid-19 diagnostics, US diagnostic specialist Thermo Fisher Scientific has completed a new $40 million production plant for viral transport media at its Lenexa, Kansas, site in a record six weeks.
AkzoNobel has completed its acquisition of Stahl Performance Powder Coatings, adding to its range of products for heat sensitive substrates. The Dutch coatings giant said the deal gives it accelerated access to unique low curing technology and strengthens its position as a complete provider of sustainable solutions for these substrates, in particular for its wood coatings customers.
LyondellBasell has been chosen by Duqm Refinery and Petrochemical Industries Company (DRPIC) to license its PP and HDPE technologies for new plants to be built in Al Duqm, Oman. The plants will have capacities of 280,000 t/y PP and 480,000 t/y HDPE, using Spheripol and Hostalen technologies, respectively.
Synthetic biotech company Amyris said it has successfully scaled up commercial production of cannabigerol (CBG) through leveraging its industrial fermentation process capability. The precursor from which all other cannabinoids are synthesized, CBG is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid that is said to present significant therapeutic potential.
Acting on an executive order by president Donald Trump, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has levied sanctions on six international companies for allegedly supplying oil and feedstock to Iran’s Triliance Petrochemical.
Unilever has announced that it will source 100% of the carbon used in its cleaning and laundry products from renewable or recycled sources rather than from traditional fossil fuels as it seeks to transform the sustainability of well-known brands such as Omo (Persil), Sunlight, Cif and Domestos.
Catalent Biologics is investing $50 million in an additional high-speed vial filling line at its Bloomington, Indiana, USA, facility to support the growing pipeline of clinical programs and commercial launches at the site.
Specialty chemicals producer Evonik is investing around €15 million in its C4 production network in Marl. Germany. The three-pronged focus is on Tert. butanol (TBA), di-isobutene (DiB) and 3,5,5-trimethylhexanal (TMH).
Specialty chemicals and ingredients distributor IMCD has entered into an agreement to take over South Africa’s Siyeza Fine Chem Propriety. Financial terms of the transaction, which is expected to close in December, were not disclosed.
French biotech Domain Therapeutics, which specializes in the discovery and development of new drugs targeting G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) in immuno-oncology, neurology and rare diseases, has signed a collaboration agreement with US pharma giant Pfizer to profile downstream signaling pathways of a set of GPCRs potentially involved across multiple therapeutic areas.
Huntsman has agreed to sell about 42.5 million shares in Venator Materials – representing just below 40% of Venator’s outstanding shares – to private equity group SK Capital Partners for $100 million cash. The deal includes a 30-month option at $2.15/share for the remaining 9.5 million shares that Huntsman owns.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has come under fire again as the federal health agency issued its third Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for a Covid-19 treatment since the beginning of the pandemic. This extended the authorization for Gilead’s remdesivir, which it markets as Veklury.
Nestlé Health Science has agreed to buy Aimmune Therapeutics, a US biopharma and developer of food allergy treatments. The Swiss multinational food and beverage conglomerate already owns about 25.6% of the company through investments worth $473 million made between November 2016 and January 2020.
The Society of Chemical Manufacturers & Affiliates (SOCMA) has purchased the Specialty & Custom Chemicals Show from previous owner Chemicals America.
KBR has won two contracts from China’s Ningxia Baofeng Energy for a 1 million t/y olefins complex in Ningdong Town, Lingwu City, Ningxia. One contract is for a 500,000 t/y coal-to-olefins facility and the other is for a 500,000 t/y C2-C5 plant.
In a move designed to boost its catalyst business, Evonik will pay $210 million to acquire the Porocel Group, a US technology provider based in Houston, Texas. The transaction, to be financed out of Evonik's “strong cash position,” is due to close by the end of 2020 subject to regulatory approval.
Bayer’s life science investment arm Leaps by Bayer and Singapore investor group Temasek have formed a new joint vertical farming company called Unfold. The companies did not disclose their respective shares in the venture, which will use seed genetics – or germplasm – from vegetable crops to develop new seed varieties tailored for vertical farms.
Bayer has begun construction on a new €50 million pharmaceutical facility in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, aimed at boosting annual output in the Chinese capital by roughly 40%.
The board of Industries Qatar (IQ) has approved the purchase of Qatar Petroleum’s (QP) 25% stake in Qatar Fertiliser Company (Qafco) for $1 billion, giving it full control of the fertilizer producer. Qafco also owns 70% of Gulf Formaldehyde Company and 60% of Qatar Melamine Company (QMC).
Oil giant BP, which recently announced plans to divest its petrochemicals business to Ineos for $5 billion, is reportedly planning to sell its headquarters building in central London as it cuts jobs and adopts flexible working.
Wuthelam Group will raise its stake in Nippon Paint from 39% to 60% at a total cost of about 1.28 trillion Japanese Yen, approximately $12 billion. The transaction is expected to complete in January 2021, subject to customary conditions.
After months of uncertainty and anxious glances across the water as potential Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers made deal after deal with other political blocs, the EU over the past four weeks has made rapid strides toward securing supplies for its 27 member states.
Swiss specialty chemicals company Clariant has formed a strategic partnership with engineering group Chemtex to market its sunliquid technology as well as services and supplies for advanced biofuel plants in China.
Catalent Cell & Gene Therapy, a unit of US-based CDMO Catalent, has signed on to provide drug substance manufacturing to AstraZeneca for the University of Oxford’s adenovirus vector-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate, known as AZD1222. Financial details were not disclosed.
As rumored earlier this month, private equity group Blackstone has emerged as the winning bidder for Takeda’s consumer healthcare business. The transaction is expected to close by Mar. 31, 2021, subject to the usual closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
On the day after president Donald Trump’s announcement that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had granted his request for an Emergency Application (EUA) to treat Covid-19 patients with blood plasma drawn from convalescents, the US pharma and biotech communities as well as the social media universe were heatedly debating its implications.
European chemical producers are sprinting to be ready to comply with new reporting rules for Substances of Very High Concern (SVCH) under an expansion of the EU’s REACH legislation due to take effect next year.
German drug discovery and development company Evotec has struck four separate partnership agreements during August.
Green chemistry company Chemetry is collaborating with Brazilian petrochemicals producer Braskem to build and operate a plant demonstrating Chemetry’s eShuttle ethylene dichloride (EDC) technology. The facility will be installed at Braskem’s chlor-alkali site in Maceio, Alagoas, Brazil. The companies did not reveal when the plant would go into operation.
BASF, in mutual agreement with partner Idemitsu Kosan, has decided to end its joint-venture 1,4-butanediol (BDO) in Japan. Consequently, BASF Idemitsu’s BDO plant at Chiba, Japan, will close in December 2020. All 21 people employed at the plant will be offered alternative employment at either BASF or Idemitsu in Japan.
