The German start-up Bioweg found a way to replace petroleum-based chemicals with innovative bio-alternatives through fermentation and green chemistry. The processing of waste products results in bacterial cellulose, which serves as a substitute for synthetic polymers and thus has diverse potential applications.
In a move to improve the supply of renewable hydrogen and thus reduce dependence on natural gas and contribute to achieving the objectives of the European Green Deal and the REPowerEU plan, the EU Commission has approved a third Important project of common European interest (IPCEI) to support hydrogen infrastructure.
CEFIC, the European Chemical Industry Council, together with 25 other regional industry associations, has issued a joint statement calling on the European Union (EU) to realize the true potential of the single market.
DSM-Firmenich, a sector giant in nutrition, health, and beauty, has initiated a process to spin off and separate its Animal Nutrition & Health (ANH) business.
Carbios and De Smet Engineers & Contractors jointly announced their collaboration to spearhead the construction of the world's first PET biorecycling plant.
Brussels, Belgium-headquartered chemical company Solvay has completed the coal phase-out initiative at its US site in Green River, Wyoming.
The major capacity expansion was completed at AkzoNobel’s Powder Coatings site in Como, Italy. The expansion is aimed to secure supply to customers across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA).
US biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences is to acquire CymaBay Therapeutics for $4.3 billion. Gilead offered to purchase all outstanding shares of CymaBay for $32.50 per share in cash.
UK-based recycling and waste management company Viridor has closed the acquisition of Norwegian chemical recycler Quantafuel as the Oslo Stock Exchange delisted Quantafuel’s shares from Euronext Growth on Feb. 7.
Maire Tecnimont has been awarded a FEED contract by MadoquaPower2X to develop an integrated green hydrogen and green ammonia plant located in the industrial zone of Sines, Portugal. MadoquaPower2x is a consortium comprised of Madoqua Renewables, Power2X, and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), through its Energy Transition Fund.
Air Liquide and Dow renewed their industrial gas supply agreement for Dow’s chemical production site in Stade, Germany. Under the long-term agreement, Air Liquide will supply industrial gases and invest almost €40 million in modernizing its facilities to increase operational efficiency and reduce CO₂ emissions.
South Korean chemicals group LG Chem has secured a long-term cathode material supply contract with General Motors (GM), worth KRW 25 trillion (about $19 billion). LG Chem intends to use its US cathode plant in Tennessee as a production center for the global battery materials market.
In a move to launch its cell therapy platforms for critical cancer trials in the US, AstraZeneca is investing $300 million in a new facility in Rockville, Maryland. The site will initially focus on the production of T-cell therapies, with the possibility of supporting other disease areas in the future.
Novo Holdings, Novo Nordisk's parent company, is acquiring US contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Catalent for $16.5 billion. The companies said that Novo Holdings will acquire all outstanding shares of Catalent for $63.50 per share in cash.
Brenntag announced the agreement to acquire a chemical logistics site of Chimica D’Agostino in Italy. The site is located in the industrial area of the city of Bari, well connected with Adriatic highway, and with easy access to harbours on the seaside.
Swiss explorer Bertrand Piccard has revealed his latest project: an emission-free airplane powered by green hydrogen. The aircraft aims to achieve a non-stop flight around the Earth, showcasing practical solutions for a cleaner and more efficient world. Partnering with Syensqo, this technological and environmental adventure will push the boundaries of innovation. The airplane is being developed in France by engineer and navigator Raphaël Dinelli.
MSD Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the aqua business of Elanco Animal Health Incorporated for €1.2 billion ($1.3 billion) in cash. The acquisition is expected to be completed by mid-year 2024, subject to approvals from regulatory authorities and other customary closing conditions.
Siegfried has appointed Marianne Späne, currently chief business officer Drug Products, as chief business officer with responsibility for both the Drug Substances and Drug Products divisions of the Swiss contract manufacturing and development organization (CDMO), effective Feb. 1, 2024. Christian Dowdeswell, who previously led the Drug Substance business, has decided to leave Siegfried.
Israeli generics manufacturer Teva Pharmaceuticals intends to divest its active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) business, Teva API (TAPI). A standalone business unit of Teva, TAPI supplies APIs to over 1,000 customers worldwide and has approximately 4,300 employees worldwide.
Arkema has increased its global manufacturing capacity for Pebax elastomers by 40% at its Serquigny plant in France, which is utilized in particular in the sports and consumer goods markets.
Austrian oil, gas and chemicals group OMV has signed an agreement to divest its 50% stake in Malaysia’s natural gas producer SapuraOMV Upstream to TotalEnergies for $903 million, including the transfer of a $350 million loan granted by OMV to SapuraOMV.
Veranova has appointed Chris Holmes as the company’s first vice president, Global Engineering. He will lead Veranova’s global engineering team in the planning, design, and execution of the company’s capital investment initiatives and lead strategic capital projects.
IMCD has appointed Natasha De Lange as managing director for South Africa, effective Feb. 1, 2024. She will be replacing Ryan Harrison, who will become managing director of Australia and New Zealand.
Swiss contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Lonza will collaborate with Oxford Nanopore Technologies, a UK-based company delivering a new generation of nanopore-based molecular sensing technology. The collaboration aims to cGMP validate and commercialize a first-of-its-kind novel test to accurately determine multiple critical quality attributes of mRNA products by directly sequencing both the DNA template and the messenger RNA (mRNA).
Last week, AbbVie broke ground on a new Singapore manufacturing facility located in Singapore's Tuas Biomedical Park. The company will invest $223 million in the site which will add 24,000 l of biologics drug-substance capacity to AbbVie's global manufacturing network and support current products as well as emerging immunology and oncology compounds within its pipeline.
Hungary-headquartered specialty pharmaceutical company Gedeon Richter becomes a strategic investor of German biosimilars company Formycon via cash capital increase of 9.08% of Formycon’s share capital, which corresponds to €82.84 million.
German chemicals, pharmaceuticals and life sciences group Merck has opened a digital hub in Singapore, the first outside of the US and Europe for its digital business.
Olon Group is building a state-of-the-art High Potency Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (HPAPI) suite at its Olon USA site in Concord, Ohio. This expands the company's capabilities for handling HPAPI, with investments totaling around €40 million ($43 million) in recent years.
Dutch ingredients producer Corbion has agreed to divest its emulsifier business to US private equity firm Kingswood Capital Management for $362 million. The transaction, which is expected to close in the second quarter of this year, is contingent upon the satisfaction of certain conditions, including regulatory approvals.
Active pharmaceutical ingredients manufacturer EuroAPI has started a collaboration with Basel, Switzerland-headquartered SpiroChem, a contract research organization (CRO) which specializes in early chemical process R&D (route scouting).
In a move to meet the rising demand from the photovoltaic industry, Solvay is expanding the is hydrogen peroxide capacity of its Shandong Huatai Interox Chemical site in China, a joint venture (JV) with Huatai Chemical.
SGD Pharma announced the opening of a new siliconization operation at its Saint-Quentin Lamotte (SQLM) plant. The company enhances its range of in-house services by internalizing its glass siliconization offer, ensuring increased responsiveness, security of supply and improved flexibility of vial sizes.
Leading Indian carbon black player Birla Carbon announced to establish two new carbon black manufacturing sites in Naidupet, Andhra Pradesh, India, and Rayong, Thailand.
The Kenyan start-up Molepse BioResources has developed two products, one for small-scale and one for large-scale grain farmers, to protect their harvest from weevil attacks.
Syensqo Ventures, the group’s venture capital fund, participated in the €1.9 million ($2.1 million) financing round for Bioeutectics, alongside Fen Ventures, Atento Capital, and SOSV (IndieBio).
