Shell Invests Billions in Sustainability
Shell Chemicals has announced it will earmark “billions of euros” from its current capital spending budget to make production assets more sustainable as it works to achieve net zero emissions by 2032.
News
GSK’s Consumer Health Flotation Flags
The Jul.18 launch of GSK’s consumer healthcare spinoff Haleon on the London Stock Exchange – said to be the largest London listing in more than a decade – seems to have gone off more like a whimper than a bang.
Cytiva Invests in US Resins Expansion
Life science company Cytiva has acquired a chromatography resins factory in Muskegon, Michigan, USA, marking its first investment in new capacity outside its manufacturing base of Sweden.
Azelis Buys Malaysia’s ChemSol
Azelis is acquiring Chemical Solutions (ChemSol), a distributor of raw materials for the personal care, cosmetics and household market segments in Malaysia.
BASF Kicks off Final US Expansion Round for MDI
BASF has kicked off the third and final round of its expansion project for polyurethanes precursor MDI at Geismar, Louisiana.
ABL Inks Immunotherapeutics Pact with KaliVir
US-based ABL, which bills itself as a pure play CDMO specialized in the development and manufacturing of viruses for vaccine candidates, gene and cancer therapies, is partnering with KaliVir Immunotherapeutics on oncolytic viruses.
EMA Reviewing Pfizer/BioNTech Covid Shot for Youngest
Pfizer and BioNTech have filed an application with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for approval of the Comirnaty Covid-19 vaccine in children aged six months to five years.
Vertex Buys ViaCyte for $320 Million
US-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals has agreed to pay $320 million in cash to acquire ViaCyte, a compatriot private cellular therapy company specializing in a treatment for type-1 diabetes (T1D). The transaction is expected to close later this year.
STAXS Starts Construction of Dedicated Carbon Neutral Facility to Meet Increased Customer Needs
To further increase its capabilities in serving Life Science customers in Europe, STAXS is expanding its facility in Heerenveen, specifically designed for this customer segment and with carbon neutrality in mind.
Solvias Boosts Testing Services with Cergentis Buy
Solvias, a Swiss CDMO serving the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, material science and cosmetic industries, has acquired Dutch biotech Cergentis for an undisclosed sum. The deal bolsters Solvias’ platform of biologics and cell and gene therapy (CGT) testing solutions.
Perstorp “Green” Methanol Project Wins EU Aid
Project Air, a production facility for sustainable methanol in Stenungsund, Sweden, described by the project’s partners Perstorp, Fortum and Uniper as “unique,” has been selected as one of 17 large-scale “green tech” projects that will share more than €1.8 billion in aid from the EU Innovation Fund.
Grace Expands Michigan Fine Chemicals Site
W. R. Grace is expanding its fine chemicals contract development and manufacturing facility in South Haven, Michigan, USA. The project is scheduled for completion in January 2024.
CDC Study Finds Glyphosate in most Urine Samples
Glyphosate and the former Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup have returned to the headlines following last month’s publication of a 2013-2014 study by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that that found traces of the herbicide’s active ingredient in the majority of urine samples collected.
Japan’s Ube Plans DMC/EMC Production in the US
Japan’s Ube has selected an undisclosed location in the US state of Louisiana as the site for a planned dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC) production facility.
FDA Finally Greenlights Novavax Covid Vaccine
It took longer than expected, but the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 13 finally granted an Emergency Authorization (EUA) to Nuaxovid, the protein-based sCovid-19 shot developed by Novavax.
Boehringer Ingelheim, Evotec and BioMérieux Link on AMR
German biopharma Boehringer Ingelheim, compatriot CDMO Evotec and French diagnostics firm BioMérieux have formed a joint venture to develop a new approach to fight the rise of antibiotic-resistant infections.
AkzoNobel Spends €20 Million on Improving French Sites
Dutch paints and coatings group AkzoNobel has announced it will spend €20 million to increase and improve production at two of its sites in France, creating around 30 new jobs.
Fujifilm Invests $1.6 Billion for Cell Culture Expansion
Fujifilm is preparing to invest $1.6 billion to ramp up the cell culture manufacturing services of its CDMO subsidiary Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies.
Shell to Build Europe’s Largest Renewable Hydrogen Plant
Shell is going ahead with plans to bring Europe’s largest renewable hydrogen plant on stream by 2025.
3M Agrees PFAS Clean-up with Flemish Government
US conglomerate 3M has agreed with the Flemish government to spend more than €571 million on cleaning up PFAS-contamination at its site in Belgium. The Flemish government had ordered 3M to halt PFAS production at Zwijndrecht last October because of contamination levels.
US Government Buys 3 Million Novavax Doses
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Defense (DOD) have ordered 3.2 million doses of Novavax’s Covid-19 vaccine, even before the protein-based and adjuvanted shot has cleared the US Food and Drug Administration.
Petrobras Closes Deten Sale to CEPSA
Brazilian oil group Petrobras has finalized the sale of its entire 27.88% stake in linear alkyl benzene (LAB) producer Deten Quimica to Spanish energy and petrochemicals group CEPSA Quimica for 514 million Brazilian reais.
HRA Pharma Seeks FDA Approval for OTC Contraceptive
In the wake of the US Supreme Court’s recent overturn of Roe v. Wade, a 50-year-old decision by an earlier team of justices that guarantees women the right terminate a pregnancy, attention has turned to the so-called morning-after pill mifepristone – which remains legal for now – and easier access to birth control.
Change of Owners for The Lycra Company
A group of four financial institutions have gained full control of The Lycra Company after former owner Ruyi Textile and Fashion International Group defaulted on a $400 million loan associated with its purchase from Invista in January 2019.
FDA Panel Says Omicron Shots Best for Autumn
While Europe still deliberates, and municipalities monitor sewage to pinpoint the further spread of coronavirus subvariants, especially those evolving from the omicron variant, the US Food and Drug Administration’s advisory panel has voted 19-2 to recommend that the government’s autumn vaccination program be based on the second generation mRNA vaccines developed by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.
Avantium and Carlsberg Ink Offtake Deal for FDCA
Dutch biopolymer producer Avantium has won a new customer along the path to commercializing its renewable polyethylenefuranoate (PEF) as a replacement for fossil-fuel based PET, the material most used for plastic beverage bottles.
FMC to Buy Denmark’s BioPhero
US-based agricultural sciences company FMC has entered into an agreement to buy BioPhero, a Danish pheromone research and production firm, for about $200 million.
Lonza Builds Swiss Fill & Finish Facility
Swiss CDMO Lonza plans to build a large-scale commercial fill & finish facility in Stein. The new facility, to be located on the same campus as Lonza’s existing clinical drug product capabilities, will cost roughly 500 million Swiss francs and should be completed in 2026.
Biden and EPA Seek Supreme Court Workaround
The administration of US president Joe Biden is looking for ways to work around the Supreme Court’s recent landmark ruling that limits the Environmental Protection Agency’s role in regulating emissions of greenhouse gases.
AkzoNobel to Buy Lankwitzer’s Wheel Liquid Coatings
AkzoNobel has agreed to buy the wheel liquid coatings business of Berlin-based Lankwitzer Lackfabrik for an undisclosed sum.
Domo and Hynamics Team up on Sustainable PA
Leuna, Germany-based PA producer Domo Chemicals is teaming up with low-carbon hydrogen producer Hynamics, a wholly owned subsidiary of French energy group EDF, to produce sustainable polyamides from hydrogen, using output from the Belle-Étoile industrial site in Saint-Fons, France.
CureVac Sues BioNTech for IP Infringement
Germany’s BioNTech is pushing back against allegations by compatriot CureVac that the company infringed its intellectual property in formulating its mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine, Comirnaty, that it developed and marketed together with US drugs giant Pfizer.
Thyssenkrupp Nucera Wins India Caustic Soda Project
German technology company Thyssenkrupp Nucera has won a contract to expand a caustic soda plant for India’s Kutch Chemical Industries. The contract’s value is in the low double-digit million-euro range.
Koch Takes OCP’s Stake in Jorf Fertilizers
US-based Koch Ag & Energy Solutions (KAES) has acquired a 50% stake in Jorf Fertilizers Company III (JFC III) from Moroccan phosphates and fertilizer giant OCP and at the same time established a 50:50 joint venture with OCP.
Polynt Plans Plasticizer Plant in Mexico
Polynt, an Italian manufacturer of chemical intermediates, is planning to build a new esterification plant to produce plasticizers – and mainly trimellitates – at its site in Atlacomulco, Mexico, in order to meet rising demand.
