US Merck Fails to Transfer all Talc Liability to Bayer
A move by US drugmaker Merck & Co. to have Bayer assume all liability for lawsuits alleging that the talc-based Dr. Scholl's foot powder causes cancer has failed, at least in the first instance.
News
Gevo and LG Chem Partner on Bio-propylene
US renewable chemicals and advanced biofuels company Gevo has entered into a joint development agreement for its ethanol-to-olefins (ETO) technology with South Korean chemicals group LG Chem.
BioNTech and DualityBio Sign ADC Rights Deal
German biotech and Covid vaccine maker BioNTech has sealed a major deal with Chinese biotech DualityBio to co-develop and commercialize two cancer antibody drug candidates (ADCs).
WuXi STA Expands Capabilities at Changzhou Campus
WuXi STA has added two reactors at its Changzhou campus in China, enhancing capacity and capability at its TIDES contract research, development and manufacturing platform for oligonucleotide, peptide and related synthetic conjugates. The reactors have capacity of 2,000 liters each, taking total volume for solid-phase peptide synthesizers to more than 10,000 liters.
Germany’s Merck to Invest in its US Chips Business
Germany’s Merck plans to invest some €300 million in an integrated specialty gas plant in Hometown, Pennsylvania, to support the development of its semiconductor business.
Catalent Starts Schorndorf Expansion
Catalent, a US-headquartered CDMO, has broken ground on a project in Schorndorf, Germany, that will add capacity for storing and handling clinical trial supply materials at controlled temperatures.
Solvay to Collaborate with Ginkgo Bioworks
Solvay has agreed a strategic collaboration with Ginkgo Bioworks, which the Belgian chemical giant said is aimed at “building the leading platform for cell programming and biosecurity.” Financial details were not disclosed.
Grupa Azoty in Polish-US Nuclear Cooperation
Polish chemical producer Grupa Azoty, US-based Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC) and the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, Poland, have signed an agreement to develop and construct a nuclear energy research facility based on Ultra Safe Nuclear’s Micro-ModulaReactor (MMR) technology in Poland.
Proxygen and US Merck Collaborate on Molecular Glue Degraders
Austrian biotech Proxygen has announced a multi-year collaboration and license agreement with US drugmaker Merck & Co to identify and develop molecular glue degraders against multiple therapeutic targets. The deal could be worth up to $2.55 billion for Proxygen, based on achieving certain milestones.
Plaskolite Buys Trinseo’s Mexico Facility
Plaskolite, a US producer of engineering thermoplastics, has agreed to buy a facility in Mexico that specializes in manufacturing cell cast acrylic sheet from Trinseo. The deal, which is expected to close in the next few weeks, includes the land, buildings and equipment – financial terms were not disclosed.
Court Threatens to Topple FDA’s Abortion Drug Approval
Conflicting decisions by federal courts in Texas and Washington on separate lawsuits involving mifepristone, one of the two drugs most widely used in medication-induced abortions, dominated US news over the Easter weekend. One of the rulings is thought likely to be challenged all the way to the Supreme Court.
IMCD Takes India’s Tradeimpex
IMCD India has agreed to buy Tradeimpex Polymers (India), a distributor of high-performance polymers and engineering plastics. The transaction is expected to close during the second quarter of 2023.
Clariant Closes Sale of Land Oil Business to Dorf Ketal
Clariant closed on Apr. 3 the sale of its North American land oil business to Indian specialty chemicals manufacturer Dorf Ketal for $14.5 million. The Swiss group said the divestment is a further step to structurally improve its portfolio and sustainability profile.
Plaintiffs Reject newest J&J Talc Litigation Offer
Seeking to clear billions of dollars worth of litigation claiming that its iconic baby powder causes cancer, Johnson & Johnson has announced it is now prepared to offer a payout of $8.9 billion over 25 years to resolve all claims.
Ineos Completes Mitsui Phenols Singapore Acquisition
Ineos Phenol announces the completion of its acquisition of the entire asset base of Mitsui Phenols Singapore from Mitsui Chemicals, a leading Japanese chemicals manufacturer, for a total consideration of $330 million.
Kemira Reviews Options for Oil & Gas Business
Kemira’s board of directors has decided to evaluate strategic options for its oil & gas business, including a potential sale. The Helsinki-headquartered company is reported to have engaged international investment bank Stifel as advisor.
Germany’s Merck Ends Bavencio Pact with Pfizer
Germany’s Merck will regain exclusive worldwide rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize the anti-programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) antibody Bavencio (avelumab) following the termination of its Alliance agreement with US drugs giant Pfizer, planned for the end of the second quarter.
ExxonMobil Expands India Lubricants Plant
ExxonMobil has announced plans to invest nearly $110 million to build a lubricants production plant in India. The facility is expected to start operating by the end of 2025.
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.
Lanxess-Advent Plastics JV Launched as Envalior
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.
Wacker and CordenPharma in RNA Drugs Project
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.
Steve Jones Appointed as Chief Financial Officer of Ingenza
Ingenza has appointed Steve Jones as chief financial officer (CFO), effective immediately.
Hasa Boosts Pool Chemicals with Orenda Buy
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 Agrees Exclusive License for Novel Antifungal
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.
EU Plastics Sector Seeks Chemical Recycling Clarity
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 Advance Channahon PS Recycling Project
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.
UK Health Records Underpin Vaxzevria Concerns
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.
ADNOC Explores Ammonia Opportunities in Germany
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 Aramco in China Refinery Project
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.
Takeda Plans New Plant for Plasma-derived Therapies
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.
Big Pharma Undercuts California Generic Insulin Plan
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 to Cooperate on Hydrogen
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 Builds Pilot Ammonia Cracking Plant
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.
KBR Acquires Acetic Acid Technology
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 Plans Paradip Petrochemical Project
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.
