AstraZeneca Withdraws US Vaxzevria Launch Plan
AstraZeneca (AZ) has announced it is permanently backing away from any plans to sell its Vaxzevria-branded Covid-19 vaccine in the US.
News
Solvay to Revive US Soda Ash Upgrade Project
Solvay said it plans to resume construction on its 600,000 t/y soda ash capacity expansion at its Green River, Wyoming, US plant, with production now expected to start at the end of 2024. The project was put on hold in September 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic
Sanofi Enters Research Pact with Hong Kong’s Insilico
French pharma Sanofi has entered a multi-year, multi-target research collaboration worth up to $1.2 billion with Hong Kong biotech Insilico Medicine.
EPA Awards $7.7 Million for Chemical Risk Assessment
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $7.7 million in research grant funding to 11 technology institutions to develop and evaluate innovative methods and approaches to inform understanding of the human health risks of exposure to chemical mixtures in the environment.
BioNTech Buys Novartis Singapore Plant for Asia HQ
German Covid-19 vaccine specialist BioNTech has acquired a production facility in Singapore from Swiss drugmaker Novartis that will serve as a manufacturing base in addition to being its Asia-Pacific headquarters.
Brenntag Launches Second Phase of Growth Strategy
Leading chemicals and ingredients distributor Brenntag has announced the second phase of its strategic growth plan, which sets new goals until 2026.
LyondellBasell Wins PP Projects in China, Vietnam
LyondellBasell has won contracts for two PP projects, one in China and the other in Vietnam. The value of the contracts was not disclosed.
Angus Chemical Acquires Expression Systems
Angus Chemical Company, a US-based global manufacturer and marketer of specialty ingredients for life sciences and industrial markets, has acquired Expression Systems, a compatriot manufacturer of cell culture media, baculovirus molecular reagents and cell lines used in advanced biological-based therapeutics.
Asahi Kasei Starts Work on Hydrogen Chain
Japan-based multinational chemical producer Asahi Kasei has begun construction of an alkaline water electrolysis pilot test plant for hydrogen production in Kawasaki, Japan.
Takeda is Overall Winner of ISPE’s 2022 Facility of the Year Awards
The International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) has announced Takeda Pharmaceuticals International as the 2022 Facility of the Year Awards (FOYA) Overall Winner.
EU Approves Sanofi/GSK Covid Booster
After several delays and restarts and a lengthy review by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the Covid-19 vaccine called VidPrevtyn Beta developed by the French-British partnership of Sanofi and GSK has been greenlighted by the European Commission.
Incitec Pivot in Saudi Ammonia Nitrate Venture
Australia’s Incitec Pivot Ltd (IPL) has entered into a joint venture with Saudi Arabia’s Modern Chemicals Company (MCC) to build the Kingdom’s first technical-grade ammonium nitrate plant. The companies did not reveal the size of their stakes in the venture.
Change of Ownership for US CDMO Alcami
UK specialist healthcare investor GHO Capital Partners and US investment firm The Vistria Group have entered into an agreement to buy a controlling interest in US CDMO Alcami from current private equity owners Madison Dearborn Partners (MDP) and Ampersand Capital Partners. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Borealis Withdraws from Rosier Squeeze Out
Turkish industrial conglomerate Yildirim will now launch a mandatory takeover bid for fertilizer producer Rosier – and a squeeze-out offer for the remaining shares – once the acquisition from Borealis has closed.
Pfizer/BioNTech Bivalent Covid Booster Wins Approvals
UK health regulator Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved the Pfizer/BioNTech bivalent Covid-19 vaccine for use as a booster in people 12 years and older.
Ascend Acquires California Plastics Recycler
US nylon giant Ascend Performance Materials has acquired an undisclosed majority stake in compatriot Circular Polymers, a recycler of post-consumer high-performance polymers including PA 6 and 6.6, polypropylene and PET.
Sandoz Invests in Extra European Antibiotic Capacity
Sandoz, the generics arm of Swiss drugmaker Novartis, has announced plans to spend an additional €50 million on raising European manufacturing capacity for finished dosage forms of amoxicillin and other key penicillin products.
Covestro Puts MDI Expansion on Hold Again
Covestro is again putting on hold its previously announced plans to build a new 500,000 t/y plant for polyurethane precursor MDI.
Ineos and Plastic Energy in new Feedstock Recycling Pact
Ineos Olefins & Polymers Europe and Plastic Energy have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to produce 100,000 t/y of petrochemical feedstock from recycled plastic waste.
Pharma CEOs Take Action on Climate Change
The CEOs of seven multinational pharmaceutical companies have announced that they are taking joint action to achieve near-term emissions reduction targets and accelerate the delivery of net zero health systems.
Shell and Partners Explore Carbon Capture in China
Shell has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with BASF and Chinese state-owned groups, including chemical producer Sinopec and steel maker Baowu, to explore the feasibility of developing an open-source carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) project in East China.
OpEx Index: Insights in Operational Excellence Challenges
Every November for the past five years, the Conor Troy Consultancy (CTC) has been hosting the OpEx Forum in Schwetzingen, Germany.
Solvay and Orbia Create PVDF for Batteries JV
The battery market is becoming increasingly important to the global chemical industry, with companies frequently linking up to supply key materials.
Ariceum and AmbioPharm in Peptide Partnership
Ariceum Therapeutics, a Berlin-headquartered private biotech developing radiopharmaceutical products for the diagnosis and systemic targeted certain hard-to-treat cancers, and AmbioPharm, a globally oriented US CDMO specialized in peptides, have agreed a strategic partnership in peptide conjugates.
IMCD Acquires China’s Shanghai Sanrise
Dutch specialty chemicals and ingredients distributor IMCD has entered into an agreement to buy China’s Shanghai Sanrise Industries & Development. Financial terms were not disclosed.
DuPont Cancels Agreement to Acquire Rogers
DuPont has terminated the agreement announced in November last year to acquire the outstanding shares of electronics materials specialist Rogers Corporation for $5.2 billion.
Cambrex Invests in US R&D Facility
Cambrex is investing in a new R&D facility in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, expanding its capacity for small molecule development and manufacturing.
Acquisitions for Brenntag in Australia and USA
Leading international distributor Brenntag has acquired the life science business of Ravenswood, strengthening its position in the Australian and New Zealand specialties market. The deal is expected to close next month.
PTC Therapeutics Gets Funding from Blackstone for Drug Development
US biopharma PTC Therapeutics has entered into a financing collaboration with private equity group Blackstone so that it can achieve its goal of delivering at least one therapy every two-to-three years.
Clariant Completes Attapulgite Acquisition
Swiss specialty chemicals producer Clariant has completed the takeover of BASF’s US-based attapulgite business assets.
Technip Wins new Contract for Ineos Cracker
Ineos has tapped Technip Energies to supply proprietary equipment for the 1.45 million t/y ethane cracker the UK group’s Olefins arm is building at Lillo in the Port of Antwerp.
India’s Dorf Ketal Takes Clariant’s North American Land Oil Business
Indian specialty chemical company Dorf Ketal has agreed to acquire Clariant’s North American land oil business for an undisclosed sum.
Curia Begins Work on New Mexico Expansion
US CDMO Curia has begun construction on an expansion of its campus in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The facility designed by Burns & McDonnell will be built by BE&K Building Group.
Arkema Divests Phosphorous Business
As part of its “dynamic portfolio management,” French specialty chemicals producer Arkema said it has agreed to sell its subsidiary Febex, a global player in phosphorus derivatives, to Belgian group Prayon.
Solvay Reuses Rosignano Limestone Residues
Solvay is collaborating with two companies to collect and reuse the limestone residues from its soda ash production in Rosignano, Italy. The move will enable the residues to be reused in construction and agriculture.
