Henkel Seals Russian Exit Plans
Henkel has now decided to pull out of Russia, due to the country’s invasion of Ukraine. The German consumer chemicals producer said, however, it would keep paying its 2,500 employees there until the exit is complete.
News
EPA Investigating Louisiana Plant Permits
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking a closer look at permits issued for chemical plants by the state of Louisiana’s environment department (LDEQ) over several years in an effort to determine whether they violated anti-pollution standards and disadvantaged Black people residing downwind.
Lygos and Flexible Solutions to Merge
North American biochemical companies Lygos and Flexible Solutions International (FSI) have agreed to merge in an all-stock transaction. The move follows a strategic investment made by FSI in Lygos in February 2021.
Bayer Executives Secure Investor AGM Support
Bayer CEO Werner Baumann will receive some needed support from two major shareholder groups at the upcoming annual general meeting (AGM) but he is not out of the woods yet.
Ramping Up Biomanufacturing Capacity
Biomanufacturing for both traditional biologics and new modalities, such as cell and gene therapies, continues to be an active area of investment for CDMOs/CMOS. Some of the major investments by the larger CMDOs/CMOs are outlined in this article.
Oqema Boosts French Footprint with Orosolv Buy
Oqema has acquired the Orosolv Group in France. The deal adds companies in Oyonnax, Ain and Brignais, near Lyon, with more than 20 employees, two warehouse locations, as well as logistics, blending and repacking facilities.
Dealing with Price Volatility
It sometimes seems that everyone running a business always thinks that times are tougher now than they used to be. For producers — and buyers — of commodity chemicals, this thinking will take the more specific form of concerns about increased price volatility.
The EU Goes Green
The EU Green Deal sets a high bar for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and its impact will be felt across industries. But the chemical sector’s unique nature means that it will be more deeply affected than other industries – and more deeply involved in making net zero a reality, as well.
The Upswing of the Superstars
For its annual report "Value Creation in Chemicals 2021 – Ten Years of Steady Growth – and a Few Superstars," the strategy consultancy Boston Consulting Group examined the performance of leading international chemical companies from 2011 to 2020. The long-term perspective shows that the industry has mastered serious market downturns with astonishing confidence.
Novasep and PharmaZell Conclude Merger
Following exclusive negotiations that started last September, German API specialist PharmaZell and French CDMO Novasep have merged as of Apr. 7. The combined group will have revenues of nearly €500 million and employ more than 2,000 people across 10 production and R&D sites – seven in Europe, two in India and one in the US.
Sandoz Launches Generic Combigan Drops
Novartis subsidiary Sandoz has launched a generic version of Combigan, the ocular hypertensiondrug made by AbbVie’s Allergan arm. The copy of the off-patent eye drops will be marketed only in the US, where Allergan racked up sales of $373 million with the original product in 2021.
Where Science Meets Business
From its inception in 1881, SCI's principal objective has been to further the application of chemistry and related sciences into industry for the public benefit.
The Supply Chain Dilemma
Since the middle of the 1980s, the supply chain of many chemicals has moved east. This was primarily driven by cheaper production costs in China or India, due to lower raw material prices, a cheaper asset base compared to plants in the West, and lower environmental and regulatory standards.
Pfizer Pays up to $525 Million for ReViral
Pfizer has agreed to buy privately held, clinical-stage biopharma ReViral for up to $525 million, including upfront and development milestones. ReViral is focused on developing and commercializing novel antiviral therapies that target respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which can lead to severe and life-threatening lower respiratory infections in high-risk populations.
GSK to Buy Sierra Oncology for £1.5 Billion
British drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is buying US cancer treatment developer Sierra Oncology for £1.5 billion in a deal observers see as designed to fend off pressure from activist shareholder Elliott Management, which has been pushing the company to expand its pipeline.
Dow Takes Stake in German LNG Terminal
With all European energy discussions now focusing on dramatic cuts in supplies of Russian gas, Dow Chemical is taking an undisclosed minority stake in an import terminal for US liquefied natural gas (LNG) that is planned to be built on its own chemical complex at Stade on the German North Sea coast.
Tecnimont Wins Two US Projects
Tecnimont, part of Italian engineering and technology group Maire Tecnimont, has won two contracts in the US from the same company. The contracts, worth $415 million in total, were granted by an undisclosed “global chemicals producer.”
Synthomer Completes Eastman Resins Acquisition
UK chemicals company Synthomer completed its $1 billion acquisition of Eastman Chemical’s adhesive resins business on Apr. 1. The business will form a new division called Adhesive Technologies. Synthomer said the business has a leading position in the global adhesives market, which is exposed to attractive end-markets with resilient GDP+ growth fundamentals.
Catalent to Invest in UK Biologics Capabilities
Catalent has acquired a 174,000 m2 biologics development and manufacturing facility currently being built by Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre UK (VMIC) on the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus south of Oxford, England.
Black & Veatch Wins Vietnam Hydrogen and Ammonia Study
US engineering and construction group Black & Veatch has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Vietnamese renewable energy developer The Green Solutions (TGS) to advance green hydrogen and green ammonia production in Vietnam.
Perstorp to Raise Carboxylic Acid Output by 2024
Swedish specialty chemical producer Perstorp plans to lift capacity for carboxylic acid by around 70,000 t/y up to 2024, in what it said is a move to strengthen its position as a sustainable solutions provider.
Six Firms to Make Vaccines for German Emergency Supply
Germany’s economics ministry has budgeted up to €2.9 billion ($3.14 billion) to ensure sufficient supply of mostly mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccines to be able to deal with the ongoing pandemic and any future outbreaks up to 2029.
Venator Wins Lawsuit against Tronox
Venator Materials has won a $75 million lawsuit against Tronox in a case over a break fee contained in an exclusivity agreement entered into in July 2018 relating to the latter’s merger with Cristal.
Sterling Pharma Solutions Expands UK ADC facility
CDMO Sterling Pharma Solutions has announced plans to invest £1 million in an expansion of its site at Deeside, UK, which is dedicated to bioconjugation and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). The move follows its acquisition of the site’s owner ADC Biotechnology in April last year.
Bayer Sidesteps St. Louis Roundup Trial
Bayer has settled a collection of claims from US plaintiffs that Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide caused their cancer, the US newspaper St. Louis Dispatch reports. This, it said, avoids a publicity-sensitive trial that was due to start this week in the Missouri city that was Monsanto’s global headquarters before it was acquired by the German group for $63 billion in 2018.
Worley Wins Work in Belgium, Oman
Australian multinational engineering contractor Worley has won two contracts this month for work in Belgium and Oman. The value of the contracts was not disclosed.
Versalis and Novamont Refocus on Circular Plastics
Italian petrochemicals and plastics producer Versalis and compatriot renewables specialist Novamont are revising the structure of their Matrica biopolymers joint venture in the hope of playing a more active role in the EU’s burgeoning circular plastics economy and help shape the Green Deal.
Ineos to Build new Acetonitrile Plant at Cologne
Ineos Nitriles has announced plans to build a 15,000 t/y acetonitrile plant at Cologne, Germany, one of its key operating sites. Without quantifying the investment, it said it would be “substantial.”
CDC and FDA Sideline Last Covid Antibody Treatment
The US Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration have removed the IV antibody treatment sotrovimab made by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Vir Biotechnology from the list of approved drug therapies for Covid-19.
Mesaieed Petrochemical Approves PVC Contract
Mesaieed Petrochemical’s board of directors has approved the award of an engineering, procurement and construction contract for a PVC plant in Qatar. The project is planned by Qatar Vinyl, a joint venture between Mesaieed, Qatar Petrochemical and Qatar Energy.
AGC Expands Spanish API Facility
AGC Pharma Chemicals Europe, part of Japanese conglomerate AGC, is expanding capacity for synthetic pharmaceuticals at its site in Malgrat de Mar, Spain. The CDMO will add a new building that will raise existing capacity by 30% when it starts operating in the first half of 2024.
England’s PX Group Buys Fairfield Engineering
UK infrastructure solutions provider PX Group, which operates several critical energy sites, has acquired Fairport Engineering (Fairport), an engineering and materials handling specialist based in northwest England.
Pharmaceutical Global Entity Portfolio Management
In March 2022, Mercator by Citco published a report that provides direct insights into the practice and dynamics of Global Entity Portfolio Management (GEPM) within the pharmaceuticals sector – based on real-life data – when these businesses have been at the epicenter of one of the most significant global disrupters in modern times.
PPG Sells African Activities to Océinde
US paintmaker PPG has agreed to sell certain business activities in Senegal, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Gabon and Algeria, to French industrial group Océinde. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Germany’s Merck Takes Lonza’s MAST Platform
Germany’s Merck has acquired Lonza’s Modular Automated Sampling Technology (MAST) platform for an undisclosed sum. The Darmstadt-based chemicals, pharmaceuticals and life science group said the deal will advance its bioprocessing portfolio and complement two earlier acquisitions in this field.
