Under order from a US federal judge in Texas, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Mar. 1 began publishing information relating to Pfizer’s application for approval of the Covid-19 vaccine it developed together with Germany’s BioNTech.
Full-service CDMO CordenPharma is making a major investment to increase lipid manufacturing capacity at its CordenPharma Chenôve facility near Dijon, France. The project is one of 25 based on mRNA technology that the French government is backing with altogether €585 million.
Health Canada has approved the recombinant Covid-19 vaccine produced by Canadian biotech Medicago that uses the pandemic adjuvant made by British pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline. The shot marketed as Covifenz uses a plant-based virus-like particles technology to imitate the coronavirus’ spike protein.
US pharma group Merck & Co is collaborating with Curve Therapeutics, a privately-held UK biotech that has developed a proprietary functional drug discovery platform called Microcycle. The partners aim to discover and validate modulators of up to five therapeutic targets using Microcycle, initially for oncology and neurology indications.
Under the brand name VynoEcoSolutions, European PVC and chlor-alkali producer Vynova has launched a new range of potassium (K) derivatives that it claims have the lowest carbon footprint available on the market.
The Antwerp@C project, which aims to halve the Port of Antwerp’s CO2 emissions, has started engineering studies following the completing of a feasibility study last year. The engineering studies will further investigate constructing a central “backbone” throughout the port, along the industrial zones on both the Right and Left Banks of the River Scheldt.
Hot on the heels of BP’s decision to quit its Russian shareholding, Shell and Equinor have announced they too will exit their joint ventures in the country, following its invasion of Ukraine.
Air Liquide has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Pertamina to explore solutions for decarbonizing the Indonesian national energy company’s operations. The partnership will contribute toward Indonesia’s efforts to meet its ambition of reaching Net Zero by 2060.
US healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson and three major distributors, AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson, have finalized a long-negotiated nationwide settlement linked to their responsibility for the opioid addiction crisis.
Western energy companies pursuing projects with Russia are feeling the heat after that country’s invasion of Ukraine, and UK giant BP has become the first to announce plans to sever business ties.
US drugmaker Eli Lilly is investing about $700 million to establish an institute for researching and developing genetic medicines at a new site in the Seaport area of Boston, Massachusetts.
Australian engineering group Worley has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with technology heavyweights ABB and IBM to develop an integrated, digitally enabled solution that will assist energy companies in building green hydrogen assets more quickly, cheaply, and safely, and operating them more efficiently.
As part of an expansion project for its US site in Theodore, Alabama, German specialty chemicals producer Evonik plans to invest $176.5 million in a new methyl mercaptan plant. The chemical is used to make MetAmino (DL-methionine), which is used in livestock feed.
California carbon-negative materials company Origin Materials has selected a site in Geismar, Louisiana, USA, to build its first world-scale facility for manufacturing plant-based PET. The decision remains subject to local economic incentives – estimated to be worth more than $100 million – before being finalized.
Germany’s Merck has completed the acquisition of US biopharmaceutical CDMO Exelead for $780 million in cash following the fulfillment of all closing conditions. The takeover plans were announced in January this year.
After several delays, Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline are preparing to submit data to regulatory authorities to support approval of their adjuvanted protein vaccine against Covid-19.
Sweden’s Recipharm is acquiring US CDMO Arranta Bio for an undisclosed sum. The deal, expected to close around the end of March, establishes a strong US presence for Recipharm and provides a further platform for building capabilities in new biologics molecules.
Arkema is buying Shanghai Zhiguan Polymer Materials (PMP), a Chinese company that specializes in reactive hot-melt polyurethane (HMPUR) adhesives for the consumer electronics market. Financial terms of the deal, which is scheduled to close this quarter, were not disclosed.
British pharmaceuticals major GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is now proceeding full speed ahead with plans to spin off its consumer health unit. The procedure is being accelerated after management rejected Unilever’s $68 billion takeover offer as too low, and the London-based international consumer products giant said it would not reopen negotiations.
Belgian chemicals and plastics giant Solvay is expanding its US portfolio of sulfone products to meet growing demand from what it says is a growing global base for polymer solutions for various in critical life science applications.
Under the name Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs Company (MCCPD), the billionaire US investor of the same name is backing an online pharmacy offering what he says are more than 100 generic drugs at an affordable price. The platform’s goal is to be “radically transparent” in its price negotiations with drugmakers.
Swiss pharma Novartis has acquired Gyroscope Therapeutics, a clinical-stage gene therapy company focused on diseases of the eye, from Syncona, a UK-based firm that says it focuses on founding and building businesses with exceptional science in areas of high unmet medical need.
Canadian health regulator Health Canada has approved the Novavax Covid-19 vaccine Nuvaxovid for people aged 18 years and older. It is the fifth Covid shot to be cleared for marketing in the country, after Pfizer/BioNTech’s Comirnaty, Moderna’s Spikevax, AstraZeneca’s Vaxzevria and the vaccine made by Johnson’s pharma subsidiary Janssen.
US CDMO Catalent plans to expand its facility in Shanghai, China, doubling capacity for the temperature-controlled storage and distribution of clinical supplies and adding secondary packaging capabilities. The expansion is expected to be completed by the middle of this year.
DuPont has agreed to sell most of its Mobility & Materials (M&M) segment to Celanese for $11 billion on a cash and debt-free basis. The deal – DuPont’s biggest since splitting from DowDuPont – is expected to close around the end of this year, subject to regulatory approvals and customary conditions.
US biotech Moderna has announced plans to expand in Europe and Asia. The expansions come as the company continues to scale up manufacturing and distribution of its Covid-19 vaccine, while also advancing other mRNA vaccine candidates and therapeutics.
US-based CDMO Curia, formerly known as AMRI, has announced that Integrity Bio and LakePharma, companies, both acquired by the company in 2021, have changed their names to Curia to reflect corporate branding.
Swiss specialty chemicals producer Clariant is struggling to get to the bottom of an internal scandal that has shaken the confidence of investors at a time when the company was seeking to get back on message after several years of pressure from activist investors, and unsuccessful mergers and asset sales.
German distribution group Oqema has acquired Alpkem, a Slovenia-based firm with its main offices in Kranj. Oqema said the deal strengthens its inorganic product line and circular economy business, as well as its infrastructure in southeast Europe. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Dutch paints and coatings group AkzoNobel has announced plans to expand its in-house resin manufacturing. The scale-up program is already underway and will, said AkzoNobel, help build resilience against supply disruptions, as well as contribute to achieving its financial and Scope 3 (upstream) carbon reduction ambitions.
With Covid-19 vaccine distribution in poor countries showing no signs of improvement, Anglo-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca and the Covax vaccine sharing program have come fire. The relatively short shelf-life of the pharma group’s viral vector-based shot Vaxzevria in particular is complicating the worldwide rollout, Reuters reports, citing World Health Organization (WHO) documents.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finally has a new commissioner, after 391 days of interim leadership. In a narrow vote of 50 to 46 on Feb. 15, the Senate confirmed Robert Califf to the top job, which has been vacant since January 2021.
French pharma Ipsen has entered into exclusive negotiations for the sale of its global consumer healthcare business to compatriot firm Mayoly Spindler. The move, said Ipsen, is a major step forward in its strategy to sharpen its focus on specialty care.
Plastics and fertilizer producer Borealis and Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC), the United Arab Emirates’ largest oil company, are lining up banks to help arrange a potential listing of their plastics venture Borouge, the Bloomberg news agency has reported.
Synthos, Lummus Technology and the latter's Green Circle business are moving into the engineering and design phase of a project to commercialize bio-butadiene technology, following the successful completion of a feasibility study last year.
