
China’s Pharmaron Plans UK Gene Therapy Expansion
Pharmaron Beijing, a Chinese pharmaceutical R&D company, is planning to undertake a major expansion project at its site in Liverpool after receiving financial support from the UK government.
Pharmaron Beijing, a Chinese pharmaceutical R&D company, is planning to undertake a major expansion project at its site in Liverpool after receiving financial support from the UK government.
Under the name Envalior, German specialty chemicals producer Lanxess and private equity investor Advent International launched their new 40:60 joint venture for high performance engineering plastics at the beginning of the second quarter, after the deal cleared all regulatory hurdles earlier.
Together with Munich’s Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) and the Humboldt University of Berlin (HU Berlin), German companies Wacker Chemie and CordenPharma International have launched a three-year project to accelerate the development of RNA-based drugs.
Ingenza has appointed Steve Jones as chief financial officer (CFO), effective immediately.
Hasa, a US producer and distributor of water treatment products, has acquired Orenda Technologies, a compatriot manufacturer of eco-friendly specialty pool chemicals. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
GSK is set to gain exclusive rights to first-in-class oral antifungal Brexafemme (ibrexafungerp) for treating vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) and recurrent VVC (RVVC) from US biotech Scynexis. The treatment is also currently undergoing Phase 3 clinical trials for invasive candidiasis (IS), a life-threatening fungal infection.
Industry associations representing EU plastics producers, processors and users have called on the European Commission to develop transparent parameters for chemically recycled products.
Agilyx and Ineos Styrolution are advancing work on their previously announced PS chemical recycling project in Channahon, Illinois, USA. They expect to complete engineering this year, providing the foundation for a final investment decision.
An analysis of British records for December 2020-May 2022 is said to show that young women aged 12-29 who received at least one dose of AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine may have been more likely to die of a heart problem. However, the findings may not apply to the entire population.
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and site services provider Currenta to explore the creation of a low-carbon ammonia supply chain.
Saudi Arabia is on a path toward establishing a major presence in the Chinese market. Saudi Aramco, the world’s biggest oil producer, said it plans to start construction on a large refinery and petrochemicals complex in northeastern China sometime in April.
Japanese drugmaker Takeda plans to invest about $765 million to build a new manufacturing facility in Osaka for plasma-derived therapies (PDTs). The company said the sum is the largest-ever investment to expand capacity in Japan and the plant will also be the biggest of its kind in the country.
Plans by major insulin producers Eli Lilly, NovoNordisk and Sanofi to drop their prices may be undercutting the US state of California’s state-backed generic insulin scheme.
Germany and Denmark have signed a joint Declaration of Intent to develop the European market for renewable hydrogen. The proposed collaboration extends to the construction of a land-based cross-border pipeline connecting northern Germany and western Denmark by 2028.
Air Liquide plans to build an ammonia cracking pilot plant in the Port of Antwerp, Belgium. The plant will be based on a novel process using Air Liquide’s proprietary technologies and is scheduled to start operating in 2024.
US multinational engineering group KBR has acquired an acetic acid technology called Acetica for an undisclosed sum. The carbonylation technology, which was owned and originally developed by Japan’s Chiyoda, uses methanol and carbon monoxide to produce acetic acid.
Indian Oil Corp has granted “stage-one” approval for establishing a petrochemical complex at Paradip, Odisha. The estimated cost for the project is $7.4 billion, making it the state-owned group’s largest-ever investment in a single location.
Ahead of a change in leadership at the top after the upcoming annual general meeting, in interviews with news agencies Bayer is dropping hints in dribbles about future plans for its healthcare business.
Saudi Aramco and DHL Supply Chain have signed an agreement to set up a new procurement and logistics hub in Saudi Arabia. The facility would be the first in the region to cater to customers in the industrial, energy, chemical and petrochemical sectors.
Private equity investor Cinven is acquiring MBCC Group’s admixture business from Swiss construction chemicals major Sika on the rebound. Earlier, the British Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had turned thumbs down on plans to sell the business to Ineos, citing antitrust concerns.
After failing yet again this week to overturn a judgment rejecting its plans to roll into a separate company more than 38,000 lawsuits claiming that its talc-based baby powder causes cancer, US healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson said it intends to file for a stay of the opinion and take its case to the Supreme Court.
With an innovative new production process, the Dutch start-up Mycotex allows for personalized clothing made from mycelium. With this contribution to sustainable chemistry the start-up aims to create a completely new supply chain for the fashion industry, an alternative to weaving, cutting and sewing.
In oleochemical production, partially saturated free fatty acids are an important alternative raw material to their fully saturated counterparts. Their manufacture can present unique challenges and opportunities. Evonik’s MONCAT catalysts provide the solution.
After years of little or no movement on regulation of per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), Europe and the US, separately, are now preparing legislation to contain them.
Italian CDMO Flamma Group intends to invest $200 million over the next three years to expand its capabilities to meet growing market demand.
Brenntag has agreed to acquire Aik Moh Group, headquartered in Singapore and covering Southeast Asian markets for industrial chemicals. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Chemical producer LyondellBasell has signed five 15-year solar power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Spanish renewable energy producer Grenergy. The purchases cover the supply of energy from the La Cereal solar farm project in Spain, which is expected to be operational at the end of 2025.
Plans by US healthcare company Baxter International to shed its biopharma contract business as it streamlines operations after a poor 2022 earnings performance are gradually taking concrete shape.
US biotech Sangamo Therapeutics is studying alternative options to advance its neurological disease programs after both Novartis and Biogen ended their respective collaborations. The California-based company said options could include potentially developing the programs internally, or with another partner.
Interview with Klaus-Peter Jung, Partner at the Miebach Consulting Group
Implementing the capability for tactical and strategic planning enables companies to build a smoother and more resilient supply chain.
In light of strained supply chains, logistics is increasingly becoming a competitive factor for the chemical industry.
For its annual report "Value Creation in Chemicals 2022 – Building Resilience as the Crisis Unfolds," the strategy consultancy Boston Consulting Group examined the performance of leading international chemical companies between 2017 and 2021. The results show that the chemical industry, even in difficult times, has outperformed other sectors.
Sustainable manufacturing is one of the most common demands industries, such as the pharmaceutical, chemical, and biotechnological industries, are faced with today. Europe needs to become more resilient and establish new sustainable processes in industry utilizing new technologies, such as digital twins.
Italian companies Saipem and Garbo have agreed to collaborate to commercialize the latter’s proprietary depolymerization technology, called ChemPET. The process converts waste PET into high-quality, high-value PET that can be reused in the chemical and food industries.