Bayer has opened a new cell therapy production plant in Berkeley, California, USA, for the production of of BlueRock Therapeutics’ bemdaneprocel (BRT-DA01), an investigational cell therapy currently in evaluation for treating Parkinson’s disease. BlueRock Therapeutics is a clinical-stage cell therapy company and a wholly owned, independently managed subsidiary of Bayer.
Malaysia’s leading integrated chemicals producer Petronas Chemicals Group Berhad (PCG), part of Petronas group, has reached the final investment decision (FID) to construct an advanced chemical recycling plant with a capacity of 33 kt/a. The plant, to be built in Pengerang, Johor, is the largest of its kind in Asia, said Petronas, and is expected to be operational in the first half of 2026.
Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) announced that it will acquire Mirati Therapeutics for up to $5.8 billion. BMS is to pay $58.00 per share in cash, for a total equity value of $4.8 billion, diversifying its oncology business and adding drugs it hopes can help offset expected lost revenue from patent expirations later this decade.
Swiss contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Lonza is extending a long-term collaboration with an unnamed major global biopharmaceutical partner. Under the agreement, the current dedicated bioconjugation capacity will be increased fourfold by adding two new bioconjugation suites for the commercial supply of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) at Lonza's site in Visp, Switzerland.
Austrian oil, gas and chemicals group OMV is collaborating with British engineering and consulting group Wood for the worldwide commercial licensing of OMV’s proprietary ReOil technology. The agreement follows a respective Memorandum of Understanding, that was signed between the two companies last year.
Kensing, a manufacturer of natural vitamin E, plant sterols, and high-purity surfactants, announced the acquisition of Advanced Organic Materials (AOM), a producer of non-GMO plant-based vitamin E and phytosterols derived from sunflower and rapeseed.
Eli Lilly announced that it is acquiring radiopharmaceutical company Point Biopharma for $12.50 per share in cash, valuing the deal at approximately $1.4 billion. Point has pipeline of clinical and preclinical-stage radioligand therapies in development for the treatment of cancer. The transaction has been approved by the boards of directors of both Indianapolis-based US companies.
Sanofi has entered into an agreement with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, to develop and commercialize the vaccine candidate for extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (9-valent) developed by Janssen, a potential first-in-class product currently in Phase 3.
Contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) AmbioPharm has appointed industry veteran Brian Gregg as CEO. Gregg, who has more than 30 years of experience in the peptide CDMO industry, succeeds Tim Nieters, who will be stepping down after seven years with the company.
Aberdeen, Scotland-based energy infrastructure company Kellas Midstream, in collaboration with service providers Worley and Johnson Matthey, has begun front-end engineering design (FEED) for its H2NorthEast hydrogen project at Teesside, UK.
AI and analytics software company SAS is collaborating with global biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to increase efficiency and drive automation in the delivery of statistical analyses for clinical and post-approval submissions to regulatory authorities.
Petrochemicals giant Ineos has agreed to buy compatriot Eastman’s Texas City site, including the 600 kt acetic acid plant and all associated third party activities on the site, for about $500 million.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of industrial chemicals that are used in numerous industrial processes and consumer products due to their special technical properties. PFAS are difficult to degrade and are detectable in the environment, food chain and humans. Therefore, these substances are also known as "forever chemicals."
Borealis has appointed two vice presidents within its polyolefins business unit, effective Sep. 1, 2023.
US biotechnology company Gritstone Bio has received a contract from the US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to conduct a Phase 2b comparative study evaluating the company’s self-amplifying mRNA (samRNA) vaccine candidate against Covid-19.
DuPont officially opened its new adhesives production facility in Zhangjiagang (ZJG), eastern China, on Wednesday. The new facility will produce adhesives to serve customers in the transportation industry, primarily in lightweighting and fast-growing vehicle electrification applications, the company said.
Arkema plans a two-and-a-half-fold increase of its organic peroxide production capacities at the Changshu site in China. This investment of around €50 million, the company said, will enable it to support its Asian customers in fast-growing markets, particularly in renewable energies.
Wacker Chemie started the construction of several new production lines to expand its specialty silicone manufacturing capacities at the Zhangjiagang site in Jiangsu Province, China. At the site, which is one of Wacker’s largest fully integrated production sites, the globally operating chemical group will produce functional silicone fluids, silicone emulsions and silicone elastomer gels. Investments of some €150 million are planned for the expansion project, Wacker said.
Portugal's oil company Galp has taken the final investment decision on two large scale projects to reduce the carbon footprint of the Sines refinery and of its products.
Indian drugmaker Glenmark Pharma has agreed to sell 75% of the shares in its subsidiary Glenmark Life Sciences (GLS) to detergent manufacturer Nirma for 56.515 million Indian rupees (about €639.000).
Bioeconomy startup Traceless Materials, which produces a natural biomaterial as an alternative to plastic, announces the completion of a €36.6 million funding round. The Series A financing round is led by UB Forest Industry Green Growth Fund.
US contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Veranova has appointed William Sanders as global vice president of chemical development operations, effective Sep. 18, 2023.
Novo Holdings, controlling shareholder in drugmaker Novo Nordisk, and healthcare investment firm Gurnet Point closed their acquisition of US antibiotics specialist Paratek Pharmaceuticals in a transaction valued at $462 million. Novo Holdings said that this is its largest individual investment in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) therapies to date.
Novartis today confirmed the plan to spin off 100% of its generic drugs arm Sandoz, with trading of the new company’s shares as well as ADRs (American Depositary Receipts) to start on Oct. 4, 2023.
Ineos Enterprises has announced the acquisition of Eramet Titanium & Iron (ETI) from Eramet for €230 million ($245 million). The deal was completed on Sept. 21 and takes immediate effect, following the satisfaction of regulatory approvals.
Japanese drugmaker Astellas Pharma plans to build an aseptic drug products facility in County Kerry, Ireland, creating an estimated 350 engineering, science, technology and other jobs. Construction is expected to begin next year and be completed in 2028. Astellas expects the investment costs to amount to €330 million.
Dow has started operations of its new MDI distillation and prepolymers facility at its US manufacturing site in Freeport, Texas.
US multinational energy company ExxonMobil has started up two new chemical production units at its Baytown, Texas, manufacturing facility. The $2 billion expansion is part of the company’s long-term growth plans for its US Gulf Coast refining and chemical facilities.
Belgian chemical major Solvay and China-headquartered Shanghai Shengjian Environment Technology, a company specializing on semiconductor process waste gas treatment, signed a strategic partnership framework agreement to strengthen their business relations and expand into new markets.
In Ireland, US drugmaker MSD has opened its new facility in Dunboyne, County Meath, and has expanded its Carlow site. MSD says it has invested more than €1 billion at both sites, creating 670 new jobs and increasing the number of employees in Ireland to 3,100. 100 of the newly created positions remain to be filled.
PPG has completed an expansion of its powder coatings plant in Sumaré, Brazil. The $2.7 million project increased the production capacity of the facility by 40%. The unit is expected to reach full capacity this month.
US vaccine maker Moderna and German biotechnology company Immatics agreed on a broad multi-platform research and development collaboration for novel cancer therapies, combining Immatics’ TCR platform with Moderna’s mRNA technology. The project spans various therapeutic modalities including bispecifics, cell therapy and cancer vaccines.
The Covid pandemic and its repercussions have changed the pharmaceutical industry and the healthcare markets. Richard Stedman, the CEO of ACG Engineering, discusses the lessons learned from the global supply chain disruptions and how innovative equipment helps pharma manufacturers overcome the challenges.
Sanner, a German contract manufacturing and development organization (CDMO), is expanding its production capacity in the Asia-Pacific region with the opening of a second manufacturing facility in Kunshan, China.
Singapore-headquartered shipping company MOL Chemical Tankers has agreed to acquire the business of Fairfield Chemical Carriers, a subsidiary of Fairfield-Maxwell, in an all-cash transaction for about $400 million.
