News

Photo

Azelis Acquires Dutch Distributor Sirius

Azelis continues its acquisition spree, this time adding Dutch distributor Sirius International to its stable. Sirius said it will operate as part of Azelis as of Jun. 1. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Photo

Air Products Acquires Gas-to-Liquids Facility in Uzbekistan

Air Products is paying $1 billion to take over a natural gas-to-syngas processing facility in Uzbekistan. The industrial gases producer has signed a deal with the Uzbek government and state-owned energy company Uzbekneftegaz to buy the facility in Qashqadaryo province.

Photo

EU and Pfizer/BioNTech Amend Vaccine Pact

The European Commission and vaccine makers Pfizer and BioNTech have reached agreement on amending the bloc’s 2021 supply deal for the duo’s Comirnaty mRNA-based shot. The compromise that extends the last planned delivery date to 2026 follows months of discussion, with member states urging the Commission to renegotiate the controversial deal.

Photo

Arlanxeo Plans Rubber Plant in Saudi Arabia

Arlanxeo has announced plans to build a rubber production plant in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The 140,000 t/y plant, which will be part of the $11 billion Amiral complex planned by Saudi Aramco and Total Energies, will produce two elastomers: ultra-high cis polybutadiene (NdBR) and lithium butadiene rubber (LiBR).

Photo

OQ Chemicals to Cut 10% of the Workforce

Toward achieving cost savings in the double-digit million euro range, Germany’s OQ Chemicals, part of the Oman-based OQ energy group, has announced a cost-cutting scheme that will see it cut 10% of the workforce.

Photo

Olon Expands API Production

Olon, an Italian CDMO and API producer, is investing a total of €100 million in 2023 to increase production capacity, in particular at its site in Mulazzano, Lodi province.

Photo

Second German Fluegas Capture Unit to use BASF Process

Complementing a deal recently signed with Germany’s Messer industrial gases group for a carbon dioxide recovery plant in Austria, BASF has announced that a new flue gas recovery technology based on its OASE blue process will be used by a new joint venture of industrial gases and engineering group Linde and cement producer Heidelberg Materials.

Photo

IMCD Buys Malaysia’s Euro Chemo-Pharma

IMCD has agreed to buy Malaysian specialty distribution company Euro Chemo-Pharma and its wholly owned subsidiary Biofresh Green, accelerating its growth in life science markets. Financial terms of the transaction, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2023, were not disclosed.

Photo

Croda Partners on Vaccine Adjuvants

UK specialty chemicals company Croda has signed partnership agreements with US companies Amyris and Botanical Solutions Inc (BSI) to source sustainable vaccine adjuvants.

Photo

Biden Seeks to Protect Covid Funding in Debit Crisis

The administration of US president Joe Biden is said to be wrangling with the Republican opposition in Congress to preserve funding for key components of the federal coronavirus response as the two sides fight over raising the debt ceiling to avert a government shutdown.

Photo

Amgen to Delay Horizon Closing at FTC Request

Reacting to a US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) restraining order, Amgen said it won’t close its $28 billion deal for Horizon until the courts have ruled. The FTC says the buy would allow Amgen to pressure insurers and pharmacy benefit managers into accepting higher prices.

Photo

Johnson Matthey and Hystar to Scale Green Hydrogen Production

Johnson Matthey has signed a three-year supply deal with Hystar to ramp up green hydrogen production. The UK technology group will supply membrane electrode assemblies, which are key performance-defining components for electrolyzers, as part of Hystar’s HyPilot project in Norway.

Photo

Arkema Boosts Battery Offering with Polytec PT Buy

Arkema is acquiring Polytec PT, a German company specializing in developing and manufacturing specialty adhesives and thermal interface materials for the electronic, electrical and automotive industries. The transaction is expected to close during Q2 2023.

Photo

German Merck Adds Renewable Energy Capacity

In what it calls another major step toward implementing its sustainability strategy, Germany’s Merck has signed a 16-year, off-site, virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with Recurrent Energy for its Liberty County Solar project northeast of Houston Texas, in the US.

Photo

Vopak Sells US Storage Terminal

Dutch multinational storage operator Vopak has agreed to sell its terminal in Savannah, Georgia, USA, to BWC Terminals, a US bulk liquids storage company, for $106 million The Savannah facility mostly stores specialty chemicals, vegetable oils and asphalt.

Photo

Waters Completes Acquisition of Wyatt Technology

Globally positioned US analytical instruments and software manufacturer for the life science industry Massachusetts-based Waters Corporation has completed the acquisition of California-based Wyatt Technology, a specialist in innovative light scattering and field-flow fractionation instruments, software, accessories, and services.

Photo

Azelis Acquires Gillco Ingredients

Azelis has agreed to buy Gillco Ingredients, a leading US distributor of specialty ingredients for the food & nutrition market. Headquartered in San Marcos, California, Gillco has 40 employees, supplying nearly 1,000 customers.

Photo

FTC Seeks to Block Amgen-Horizon Merger

Calling the deal announced late last year an alarming sign for biopharma, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is seeking to block the closing of Amgen’s proposed $28 billion acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics with a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction.

Photo

Dow to Deploy Nuclear Reactors at Texas Site

In an as yet unusual move for a chemical producer, Dow plans to build what it said is a “first set” of small modular nuclear reactors at its Seadrift, Texas, site south of Houston, in partnership with Maryland-based nuclear developer X-Energy Reactor Co.

Photo

Apollo Walks Away from Wood

US private equity group Apollo Management Holdings has walked away from a potential deal with Wood Group after more than four months of pursuing the British multinational engineering and consulting business.

Photo

Johnson Matthey Set to Catalyze the Net Zero Transition

Johnson Matthey (JM) looks back at a legacy of 200+ years. Established in 1817, the London, England-based chemical company reported annual revenues of about €18 billion in 2022. JM has built a global presence with operations in more than 30 countries. The company’s strategy is based on the vision for a cleaner, healthier world and mirrors society’s need to create a more sustainable future. JM has set out to catalyze the net zero transition by delivering sustainable solutions to customers enabled by innovative technology and leading positions in JM’s key markets automotive, chemicals, and energy. To get a better understanding of the role JM’s technological developments play for a sustainable future, Michael Reubold spoke with Maurits van Tol, the company’s Chief Technology Officer.

Photo

Navigating Uncertainty in the Biopharma Market

Biopharma companies are facing funding challenges in 2023 as interest rates rise and investors are becoming more risk adverse. There is hope on the horizon, say some analysts, while others project a prolonged slump due to inflation and global instability. Established pharmaceutical companies are often seen as safer investments, with larger developers expected to perform well in 2023, especially if litigation threats against drugs like Zantac disappear. However, concerns about revenue gaps continue for big companies like GSK and Sanofi, and their strategy and leadership will be closely monitored in the coming months.

12710 more News

Virtual Event

Downstream Purification
Bioprocess Forum

Downstream Purification

Save the Date: November 21+25, 2025
Join leading scientists, process engineers, and biomanufacturing innovators for a two-day virtual event exploring the latest breakthroughs in downstream purification.