CEFIC Re-elects Ilham Kadri as President
Ilham Kadri, CEO of Syensqo, has been re-elected as president of CEFIC, the European Chemical Industry Council, for a two-year term, effective immediately.
News
Ambiopharm Breaks Ground on $28 Million Expansion
Ambiopharm, a US-based pharmaceutical services company specializing in peptide manufacturing, recently announced the groundbreaking of a 70,000-square-foot (6,504 m2) capacity expansion project at its Shanghai manufacturing site. This $28 million (€26.6 million) project reflects the company’s commitment to serving growing global demand and confidence in China’s vital role in the global pharmaceutical supply chain.
Merck & Co. Licenses Investigational Cancer Drug from LaNova
US drugmaker Merck & Co. (MSD) has entered into a global license agreement to develop, manufacture and commercialize LM-299, a novel investigational PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody from Chinese biotechnology company LaNova Medicines.
AstraZeneca to Invest $3.5 Billion in the US
Anglo-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca plans to invest $3.5 billion in the US to expand the company’s research and manufacturing footprint by the end of 2026.
High demand for food-grade phosphoric acid
Foodgrade phosphoric acid is currently a new product from the Elixir Group that is in demand in Europe and beyond
ICIG Acquires European Advanced Organics Business from Valtris
International Chemical Investors Group (ICIG) has acquired the European Advanced Organics business from Valtris Specialty Chemicals. The transaction includes production plants in Tessenderlo, Belgium, and Maastricht, the Netherlands, as well as the benzyl chloride and derivatives portfolio manufactured at those sites.
Nouryon Completes Expansion for Organic Peroxides in China
Dutch specialty chemicals producer Nouryon has completed the capacity expansion for organic peroxides at its manufacturing facility in Ningbo, China. The expansion doubled production capacity to 6,000 tons of organic peroxide products each, which are sold under the Perkadox 14 and Trigonox 101 brands.
Lonza to Expand Bioconjugation in Visp, Switzerland
Lonza, a global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) for the pharmaceutical, biotech, and nutraceutical markets, announced today that it will invest in additional bioconjugation capabilities in Visp, Switzerland.
Avid Bioservices to Be Acquired by GHO Capital and Ampersand
US-headquartered Avid Bioservices, a biologics-oriented CDMO, will be acquired by funds managed by GHO Capital Partners and Ampersand Capital Partners in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $1.1 billion. The three companies have signed a corresponding agreement.
Evonik to Expand Specialty Amine Production in Nanjing, China
German specialty chemicals group Evonik broke ground on its plant expansion for specialty amines at its site Nanjing, China, on Nov. 8. Construction work is expected to be completed in 2026.
Ascendis Licences Proprietary Technology to Novo Nordisk
Danish biopharma company Ascendis Pharma will grant pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk an exclusive worldwide license to its TransCon technology platform to develop, manufacture, and commercialize proprietary products for the treatment of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases.
Future Prospects in Green Chemistry
The Discourse on Green Chemistry Interactive Pitch Competition, held on November 5, 2024, at Wiley's Berlin office as part of Berlin Science Week, showcased a range of innovative projects aimed at addressing critical environmental challenges.
SABIC Opens Multi-Million-Dollar Resin Manufacturing Facility in Singapore
SABIC recently announced the official launch of its new US$170 (€157.7) million ultem resin manufacturing facility in Singapore, marking the company’s first advanced specialty chemical manufacturing facility in the region producing the high-performance thermoplastic, ultem resin.
Solenis Completes Acquisition of BASF’s Mining Flocculants Business
US specialty chemicals company Solenis has acquired BASF’s flocculants business for mining applications. With this strategic acquisition, Solenis enhances its portfolio for mining and mineral processing customers. The transaction, for which financial details were not disclosed, was first announced in July.
Ardena Expands European Bioanalytical Capabilities
Belgium-headquartered pharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Ardena announced plans to expand its bioanalytical services in the Netherlands. As part of the investment, the company plans to establish a new bioanalytical laboratory at its Pivot Park facility in Oss, as well as additional capacity and new GLP capabilities at its bioanalytical center of excellence in Assen.
Secarna Appoints Konstantin Petropoulos as CEO
Germany’s Secarna Pharmaceuticals has appointed Konstantin Petropoulos as CEO. He is stepping up from his previous role as the company’s chief business officer (CBO) and succeeds Alexander Gebauer, who is stepping down with immediate effect to focus his efforts on another company, Galimedix Therapeutics, that he has co-founded and is leading.
Kemira to Close Pulp & Paper Chemicals Site at Vancouver
Finnish chemicals company Kemira announced plans to consolidate some of its pulp & paper chemical production in North America, resulting in the closure of a manufacturing site in Vancouver, Canada. The Vancouver site produces process and functional chemicals for the pulp & paper segment.
Sterling Pharma Solutions Expands GMP ADC Manufacturing Capacity
Sterling Pharma Solutions, a global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), today announced the second phase of an expansion strategy at its Deeside, UK site to support antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) development, with a more than £10 million (€11.9 million) investment to increase GMP bioconjugation capacity.
Renasens - No Waste, Only Resources
The female-led Swedish start-up Renasens has developed a clean, waterless recycling technology that transforms textile waste into valuable new resources.
GSK Acquires Lupus Drug Candidate from Chimagen Biosciences
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) agreed to acquire a clinical-stage drug from Chimagen Biosciences, a privately held Chinese biotechnology company. CMG1A46 is a dual CD19 and CD20-targeted T cell-engager (TCE), which GSK plans to develop and commercialize with a focus on B cell-driven autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and lupus nephritis (LN), with potential to expand into related autoimmune diseases.
AbbVie to Buy US Biotech Firm Aliada for $1.4 Billion
US drugmaker AbbVie has signed an agreement to acquire biotechnology company Aliada Therapeutics, which develops therapies for central nervous system (CNS) diseases using a novel blood-brain barrier (BBB)-crossing technology to address challenging central nervous system (CNS) diseases.
CEPSA Becomes Moeve
Today, CEPSA announced its name change to Moeve, marking a historic milestone in the company’s transformation. This change positions Moeve as a leader in the European energy transition and demonstrates the significant progress achieved under its 2030 Positive Motion strategy, reinforcing its full commitment to sustainable energy and mobility.
GSK to Invest $800 Million in US Manufacturing Facility
British pharma company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) plans to invest up to $800 million to expand drug substance and drug product manufacturing capabilities at the company’s US site in Marietta, Pennsylvania. The investment, which GSK said is its largest ever in US manufacturing, is expected to create more than 200 new jobs.
Ineos Styrolution Confirms Decision to Not Restart Sarnia Site
Ineos Styrolution, a supplier of styrenics materials, recently confirmed it will not restart its styrene monomer production site in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, which has been shut down since April 2024.
Eni to Invest €2 Billion in the Transformation and Relaunch of Versalis
Italian energy group Eni has finalized its transformation and relaunch plan for Versalis, its chemicals business. As part of the plan, Eni will invest about €2 billion to reduce emissions by approximately 1 million t of CO2, currently about 40% of Versalis' emissions in Italy.
Rentschler Plans New Buffer Media Facility at its Headquarters
In a move to further increase production efficiency and modernize the site, German contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Rentschler Biopharma plans to construct a new buffer media station at its company headquarters in Laupheim. According to Rentschler, this is the largest single investment in the German site.
TfS Launches Product Carbon Footprint Exchange Platform
With sustainability and carbon reduction high on the global agenda, industries are under increasing pressure to meet decarbonization targets in line with the Paris Agreement. To support companies in the chemical sector in meeting this challenge, Together for Sustainability (TfS), a global sustainability initiative representing more than 50 major chemical companies, has announced the launch of its Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) Exchange solution.
Lonza Extends ADC Manufacturing Collaboration with Biopharma Company
Swiss contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Lonza has announced a long-term extension of its collaboration with a key global biopharmaceutical partner for the manufacture of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) at commercial scale. The name of the partner was not disclosed.
Avantium Opens Biobased FDCA Plant in the Netherlands
Dutch renewables specialist Avantium has officially opened its FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid) flagship plant in Delfzijl, the Netherlands. Plans for what was said to be the world's first commercial-scale production plant for FDCA were first announced in December 2021.
Syensqo Partners with Jean-Marie Lehn Foundation
In a move to promote innovation and sustainability in the materials industry, Syensqo has entered into a partnership with the Jean-Marie Lehn Foundation.
LyondellBasell Completes Acquisition of Solvent-Based Recycling Company APK
LyondellBasell (LYB) has completed its acquisition of APK in Merseburg, Germany. The company will be fully integrated and continue as part of LYB. The deal was first announced in August of this year.
PPG to Sell US and Canada Architectural Coatings Business to American Industrial Partners
US paints and coatings group PPG has reached a definitive agreement to sell 100% of its architectural coatings business in the US and Canada to investor American Industrial Partners (AIP) for $550 million.
Sanofi in Talks to Sell Stake in Opella to CD&R
Sanofi has entered into talks with Clayton Dubilier & Rice (CD&R), a US-based investment company, about the potential sale of a 50% controlling stake in the French drugmaker‘s consumer healthcare business, Opella.
Cambrex Opens New Stability Storage Facility
Today, Cambrex announced its stability storage business, Q1 Scientific, and opened a new cGMP facility in Durham, North Carolina, expanding its capacity for environmentally controlled stability storage services to North America's pharmaceutical, medical device, and life sciences industries.
Lundbeck to Acquire Longboard Pharmaceuticals
Danish drugmaker Lundbeck has announced to acquire US company Longboard Pharmaceuticals in a deal valued at approximately $2.6 billion. Longboard, headquartered in La Jolla, California, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel medicines for neurological diseases.
