In February, industry leaders from 20 industrial sectors presented the ‘Antwerp Declaration for a European Industrial Deal’. The declaration emphasizes industry's dedication to Europe's transformation and outlines urgent needs to enhance Europe's competitiveness, resilience, and sustainability amid challenging economic circumstances.
Interview with Leon Ferrant, Green Li-ion
Interview with Morgane Rousselot, SeaBeLife
BioPhorum, an industry collaboration group, focuses on advancing sustainability within the biopharmaceutical sector. In an exclusive interview, Nicola Coles, Director of BioPhorum Sustainability, shares insights into the organization’s commitment to environmentally responsible practices.
The idea that statistics can address urgent sustainability concerns at the lab bench was central to presentations at the recent JMP Discovery Summit Europe in Manchester, UK.
In this interview, Phillip Chalabi, Umicore’s director Strategic Projects and Innovation, gives an overview of the company’s activities in precious metal chemistry.
Ori Biotech a cell and gene therapy (CGT) manufacturing technology producer, recently announced the commercial launch of IRO, a next-generation platform.
UK-headquartered contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Sterling Pharma Solutions has invested $3 million at its US facility in Germantown, WI, to expand the company’s integrated antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) development and manufacturing capabilities.
Neste, Marubeni and Resonac have agreed to cooperate on the production of renewable olefins and derivatives. The cooperation involves Neste RE, a Neste-produced renewable raw material, being used to manufacture products at leading Japanese chemical company Resonac’s Oita Complex in Japan. Marubeni, a major Japanese general trading and investment conglomerate, will coordinate all logistical arrangements from Neste to Resonac, the partners said.
In a move to expand its expertise and business in silicone-coated healthcare products, Germany’s Wacker Chemie has acquired the manufacturing assets and know-how of US-based Bio Med Sciences. As part of the acquisition, a majority of Bio Med Sciences’ workforce will also move to Wacker, the company said. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
LyondellBasell (LYB) has completed the acquisition of a 35% interest in Saudi Arabia-based National Petrochemical Industrial Company (Natpet) from Alujain. The transaction was announced in January of this year.
Enzene Biosciences, a global CDMO announces the launch of a new Drug Discovery Division.
US oil and gas giant ConocoPhillips has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Marathon Oil for $22.5 billion, including net debt of $5.4 billion. The transaction, which is subject to the approval of Marathon Oil stockholders, regulatory clearance and other customary closing conditions, is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2024.
South Korean conglomerate Hanwha and Ineos Nitriles intend to collaborate in a study for a low-carbon ammonia facility with carbon sequestration in the US, with a capacity of more than 1 million tons per annum.
QatarEnergy signed a long-term urea supply agreement with US-based Koch Fertilizer. The 15-year supply agreement, starting in July 2024, covers up to 740,000 metric tons per year of product.
US drugmaker Merck & Co. (MSD) has agreed to acquire privately held ophthalmology-focused biotechnology company Eyebiotech (EyeBio).
US healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson (J&J) agreed to acquire Yellow Jersey Therapeutics (YJT) from biotechnology company Numab Therapeutics in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $1.25 billion, giving it worldwide rights to the novel, investigational bispecific antibody NM26.
Eli Lilly plans to invest another $5.3 billion in its US manufacturing site Lebanon, Indiana, increasing the company's total investment in this site $9 billion. The investment will expand Lilly's capacity to manufacture active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) for tirzepatide injections marketed under the Zepbound and Mounjaro brands.
AkzoNobel has announced the intention to close the manufacturing sites of Groot-Ammers (The Netherlands), Cork (Ireland), and Lusaka (Zambia) and transfer the production to other locations in the region.
Biogen and Human Immunology Biosciences (HI-Bio), a privately-held clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on targeted therapies for patients with severe immune-mediated diseases (IMDs), have entered into a definitive agreement. Biogen has agreed to acquire HI-Bio for $1.15 billion (€1.06 billion) upfront and up to $650 million (€600.5 million) in potential milestone payments.
EuroAPI has entered into a Contract Manufacturing Organization (CMO) agreement with a global animal health company.
US chemical manufacturers report their company’s activity level overall (e.g., sales, production, output) improved in the first quarter of 2024, according to the latest findings from American Chemistry Council’s (ACC) Chemical Manufacturing Economic Sentiment Index (ESI). While chemical manufacturers’ sentiment regarding the state of the global economy remained negative in Q1, their assessment of the US economy improved.
On Wednesday, DuPont announced plans to separate into three publicly traded companies. The Electronics and Water businesses will become independent companies, with the remainder of the company to comprise New DuPont. The splits are expected to be complete within 18 to 24 months, and do not require shareholder approval, the company said.
Genmab has completed its $1.8 billion acquisition of ProfoundBio, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing next-generation antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and ADC technologies for the treatment of cancers.
H.B. Fuller Company, the biggest pureplay adhesives company in the world, has acquired ND Industries, a leading provider of specialty adhesives and fastener locking and sealing solutions serving customers in the automotive, electronics, aerospace, and other industries.
In a move to enhance global supply of its antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) portfolio, AstraZeneca intends to build a $1.5 billion facility in Singapore for the manufacturing of ADCs.
Hungarian energy and petrochemicals group MOL has inaugurated its €1.3 billion polyol complex in Tiszaújváros, Hungary, with a capacity of around 200,000 t/y of polyol, a widely used plastic raw material.
BASF is to invest in the expansion of its advanced additives plant at Nanjing, China. The expansion includes a state-of-the-art production line for the company’s high-performance controlled free radical polymerization (CFRP) dispersants used in the coatings industry. The new line is planned to start up by the end of 2025.
US-headquartered specialty chemicals company Orion announced plans to invest in Alpha Carbone, a French tire recycling company. The partnership will enable Alpha Carbone to scale up its facility in Dole, France, and produce commercial volumes of tire pyrolysis oil and recovered carbon black.
The American start-up Zila Bioworks is transforming hard-tech manufacturing with drastically cleaner, greener chemistry, while supporting rural communities.
On Monday, Paris-based French drugmaker Sanofi announced plans to invest more than €1 billion at three facilities in France to create new bioproduction capacity.
Life science group Sartorius and biopharmaceutical firm Sanofi are partnering to create a platform for continuous downstream bioprocessing. Sartorius will use its engineering and manufacturing skills to commercialize integrated and continuous biomanufacturing (ICB) platforms, using Sanofi’s prototypes. In exchange, Sanofi will provide Sartorius with exclusive access to its ICB platform knowledge and patents.
The top management of life sciences companies is very optimistic about 2024 and 2025, with over 80% of pharmaceutical, medical technology and biotechnology executives expecting profit growth for the current year and over 90% for the coming year. Around one in two companies expect profits to rise by more than 5% this year and 70% next year. These are the findings of the annual survey "Life Sciences Executives Flash Report" by consulting company Horváth.
US specialty chemicals producer Ashland has signed a definitive agreement to sell its nutraceuticals business to Turnspire Capital Partners. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2024, subject to customary closing conditions. Financial details of the transaction were not given.
Neste has appointed Heikki Malinen as president and CEO of Neste, effective Nov. 2, 2024, at the latest. He succeeds Matti Lehmus, who decided to leave the company. Malinen is currently a member of Neste’s board of directors, but will step down before taking up his new role.
