EUROAPI to Invest €50 Million at Budapest
Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient maker EuroAPI said it plans to invest €50 million in a new state-of-the-art production plant at its fully integrated Budapest site.
News
Thyssenkrupp Uhde and Johnson Matthey Win Ammonia Nod
German engineering contractor Thyssenkrupp Uhde and the UK’s Johnson Matthey are supplying a new cartridge for an ammonia plant in Turkey to significantly reduce pressure in the synthesis loop while maintaining the nameplate capacity of 1,200 t/d. Delivery is planned for 2024.
WuXi Biologics Hikes Capacity in Germany
Chinese CDMO WuXi Biologics plans to expand capacity in Germany in response to rising demand. The company will install a second filling line at Leverkusen and expects to double capacity from 12,000 liters to 24,000 liters at its drug substance facility in Wuppertal.
Out-of-Court PFAS Settlement for DuPont and Ex-units
DuPont and former group units Chemours and Corteva have agreed to pay more than $1 billion to settle out of court US claims that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) discharged from their plants contaminated waterways that supply a majority of US public water systems.
FDA Allows Oncology Drug Imports amid Shortage
To boost supply of the injectable chemotherapy drug cisplatin – the US is facing a shortage of oncology treatments – the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will temporarily allow imports of 50-milligram vials from Chinese manufacturer Qilu Pha. Canada’s Apotex would distribute.
BASF Expanding APGs at two Production Sites
To meet growing global demand, BASF is expanding output of global alkyl polyglucosides (APGs) at Bangpakong, Thailand, and Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. The group also produces the mild surfactants at Düsseldorf, Germany, and Jinshan, China. In North America, it is sole manufacturer.
Novo Nordisk in Talks to Take Majority Stake in Biocorp
Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk is in exclusive talks to take a controlling stake in Biocorp, a French company specializing in developing and producing delivery systems and medical devices, for about €154 million.
LyondellBasell, Technip and CPChem Sign e-Cracking MOU
LyondellBasell, Technip Energies and Chevron Phillips Chemical (CPChem) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to design, build and operate a demonstration unit using Technip’s electric steam cracking furnace technology.
Moderna to Build New Plant in Massachusetts
After building up manufacturing footholds outside the US, including in Australia, Kenya, South Korea, Canada and the UK, vaccine specialist Moderna is planning to build a new plant closer to its home base in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Chemours Sells Glycolic Acid Business to PureTech Scientific
Chemours has agreed to sell its glycolic acid business to PureTech Scientific for $137 million cash. The transaction is expected to close by the third quarter of this year, subject to regulatory approval and other usual conditions.
3M Ramps Up Biopharma Filtration Capabilities
Science and technology group 3M has announced plans to invest $146 million to expand its biopharma filtration capabilities at manufacturing facilities in Europe. The company did not disclose the facilities’ locations.
Olon Builds Second Plant for Ultra-Potent Compounds
Italian API producer Olon has started building a second facility at its Rodano site in Milan that will be entirely dedicated to producing ultra-potent compounds.
Merck Invests in Scottish Biosafety Unit
Germany’s Merck is investing €35 million in biosafety testing at its Glasgow and Stirling sites in Scotland. When completed – no date has been given – the company said the expansion will create nearly 500 jobs, lifting the workforce headcount across the two sites to more than 1,200.
PPG Spends $44 Million on Plant Upgrades
PPG has announced plans to spend $44 million on upgrading five of its powder coatings plants in the US, Mexico and Brazil, to meet growing customer demand for more sustainable products. All the projects are scheduled to be finished by the fourth quarter of this year.
Germany’s Messer to Buy Out Investor CVC
Toward bringing global operations under sole family control for the first time since selling the bulk to Hoechst 1965, German industrial gases producer Messer is buying out investor CVC. To finance the plan, the company will sell a stake to Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC.
Lonza Acquires ADC Specialist Synaffix
Swiss CDMO Lonza has acquired Dutch-based Synaffix, a biotech focused on ADC development. The deal comprises an initial cash injection of €100 million and up to €60 million in additional performance-based considerations. Synaffix will continue to operate under its existing name.
LyondellBasell to Delay Refining Exit to 2025
LyondellBasell plans to keep its oil refining business in operation longer than planned. Rather than pull the plug at the end of 2023 as announced earlier, the olefins and polyolefins giant said this week it would delay its exit until the end of the 2025 first quarter.
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.
PCAS Agrees Sale of Canada Unit to DIC
PCAS has announced that it has decided to sell its Canadian subsidiary to DIC for €88.2 million.
ProductionToGo to Distribute Evonik’s 3D Printing Materials
Evonik has inked a new non-exclusive deal with compatriot ProductionToGo, covering distribution of the German specialty chemicals group’s 3D printing materials.
Dow and New Energy Blue in Bio-ethylene Deal
Dow has entered into a long-term agreement with New Energy Blue for the supply of bio-based ethylene from agricultural residues in North America.
Bankrupt Purdue Pharma Cleared to Sell Consumer Unit
Privately held US drugmaker Purdue Pharma has received permission from a US bankruptcy court to sell its consumer health business, Avrio Health, for $397 million to a subsidiary of Arcadia Consumer Healthcare.
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.
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.
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).
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.
FDA Grants Full Approval to Pfizer’s Paxlovid
Pfizer's oral anti-viral Covid-19 treatment Paxlovid has won full approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after Emergency Use Authorization was granted in late 2021.
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.
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.
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.
Yara Doubles UK Capacity for Crop Protection Products
Norway’s Yara has announced plans to build a new plant for specialty crop protection products and biostimulants at an existing site in York, UK.
Germany and Canada in Green Hydrogen Alliance
Germany and Canada have teamed up to create what they tout as a “secure and reliable” transatlantic supply chain for green hydrogen.
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.
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.
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.
