The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Apr. 23 that they would lift the two-week pause on administration of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine for all adults and require a warning label about the possibility of a rare but dangerous blood clotting disorder combined with a low level of platelets.
Australian companies Orocobre and Galaxy Resources have agreed to a “merger of equals” that they said would create the world’s fifth-largest manufacturer of lithium chemicals. The deal, valued at A$4 billion, has been unanimously approved by the boards of both companies and is expected to complete by August 2021.
Swiss CDMO Lonza is investing 200 million Swiss francs at its Alpine site in Visp to build a new manufacturing complex for a long-term biopharmaceutical manufacturing partner. Lonza said the project is being supported by an unquantified capital contribution from the undisclosed partner.
Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant Unilever has partnered with recycled carbon technology specialist LanzaTech and glycols producer India Glycols to produce a surfactant from industrial carbon emissions.
DuPont is investing approximately $30 million in a new car adhesives plant in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu province, China. Construction on the facility at the Yangtze River International Chemical Industrial Park in the Zhangjiagang Free Trade Zone will start in Q3 2021, with start-up scheduled for early 2023.
German specialty chemicals producer Evonik delivered the first batches of lipids for BioNTech’s mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine on Apr. 22, months earlier than planned. Deliveries were expected to start in mid-2021 but the company said it was able to set up production in just eight weeks at its complex in Hanau, Germany, and meet the high-quality requirements for the component.
UK specialty chemicals company Elementis has been the subject of another attempted takeover – its fourth in under six months – but this time from US rival, Innospec.
US industrial gases specialist Air Products has bought the remaining 50% equity stake in a gasification technology joint venture it picked up in the 2019 acquisition of GE’s gasification business and technology. Financial terms of the arrangement with China Shenhua Coal to Liquid and Chemical Co., part of China Energy Group, were not disclosed.
Johnson & Johnson will now resume the rollout of its Covid-19 vaccine in the EU, with the shot carrying a label warning that blood clots are a possible risk. The announcement came after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Apr. 20 that the benefits of the vaccine exceed the risk but mandated the label.
Virtual specialty materials manufacturer Aceto has acquired A&C, a producer of specialty excipients, buffers and process solutions, for an undisclosed sum.
US biotech companies Antheia, Genomatica and Ginkgo Bioworks have backed the launch of the Synthetic Biology (SynBio) Coalition to promote investment and support for the US synthetic biology industry.
As part of his proposal for discretionary spending in the US government’s fiscal year 2022, President Joe Biden has proposed $6.5 billion in funding to establish a new federal agency within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to drive bio-pharmaceutical innovation in areas such as cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.
Switzerland, as one of the leading global biotech hubs, was well positioned to facilitate international collaborations and develop solutions to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, and the sector saw record levels of investment in 2020. This is the bottom line of the latest edition of the Swiss Biotech Report, published by the Swiss Biotech Association in conjunction with EY and eight other partner organizations.
The rollout of Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine could be resumed starting Apr. 23, Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious-disease expert and chief advisor to US president Joe Biden on pandemic-related issues, has told US media.
The Italian government has held talks with several pharmaceutical companies, including Moderna, Novartis, CureVac and Italy’s ReiThera, about producing mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccines in the country, the Financial Times (FT) has reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
German energy group Uniper is carrying out a feasibility study on establishing a national hub for hydrogen in Wilhelmshaven. Plans include an import terminal, which would be equipped with an ammonia splitter for producing green hydrogen. It will also be connected to the planned hydrogen network.
Swiss CDMO Lonza and China pharma Junshi Biosciences have expanded their biologics collaboration. Lonza will leverage its global network and local operation capabilities to help Junshi Biosciences accelerate the development of drugs in its pipeline and promote their adoption across international markets.
Former Braskem CEO José Carlos Grubisich has pleaded guilty in a US court to conspiring to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) as well as provisions of that act by failing to accurately certify the Brazilian chemical producer’s financial reports.
Azelis has agreed to buy the distribution assets of Indian firms Spectrum Chemicals and Nortons Exim. The transaction is expected to close in the coming two weeks. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Activist hedge fund Elliott Management, also known as Elliott Associates or Elliott Advisers, has a new target – GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). Over the past decade, the fund has gone after chemical companies DuPont, Bayer and most recently Akzo Nobel, with mixed results.
Denmark has taken what it said was a final decision to discontinue using the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine in its national inoculation campaign after an unusual string of rare blood clots. A discussion has begun over what to do with the remaining supply.
UK CDMO Sterling Pharma Solutions has acquired compatriot firm ADC Biotechnology, a specialist in antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). The acquisition follows Sterling’s “significant” investment in the business last December, which was made with a view to acquiring ADC Bio in the first quarter of 2021.
Germany’s Federal Court of Justice has this time ruled in Solvay’s favor on a patent invalidation case brought by Neo Chemicals & Oxides Europe in a dispute that has raged for several years. The ruling reverses a decision made in January 2019 that revoked the German designation of a key Solvay patent on a cerium oxide-based product that is used to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions in diesel engines.
The European Commission has decided against renewing its Covid-19 vaccine supply contracts with AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson when they expire at the end of the current year, Italian newspaper La Stampa has reported, citing an unnamed source from the Italian health ministry.
Compass Minerals, a US producer of minerals and plant nutrition products, has finalized two separate sale agreements with ICL and Koch Agronomic Services for its South American and North American businesses, respectively. The deals follow a detailed analysis by Compass Minerals of its portfolio.
Exxon Mobil is exploring a sale of its Advanced Elastomer Systems (AES) division, potentially valuing it at around $800 million including debt, Reuters has reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
US health authorities paused the rollout of Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine on Apr. 13 after reports of six serious blood clots occurring in nearly 7 million people vaccinated. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said they would release guidance following an emergency meeting on Apr. 14.
Russian fertilizer producer Acron is spending $190 million to revamp two ammonia units at its Novgorod site. Once the upgrades are complete in 2023, the company’s total ammonia production will increase by 375,000 t/y.
DSM has invested $100 million in the launch of Hologram Sciences, a health tech company that will provide consumers with personalized nutrition solutions.
In partnership with the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), French drugmaker Sanofi is planning to invest more than €400 million to create what it said is a “unique vaccine production center that pushes the boundaries of operations through cutting edge manufacturing and digital technologies.” The new site will mainly supply the Asian region and complement existing manufacturing capability in Europe and North America.
US private equity group One Rock Capital Partners has completed its acquisition of UK plastics distributor Distrupol from US chemicals distributor Univar – the plans were announced in late January. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
US CDMO Charles River Laboratories has acquired Retrogenix, a UK-based early-stage contract research organization that provides specialized bioanalytical services, for approximately £35 million in cash. The transaction also includes a potential additional payment of up to £5 million based on future performance.
Johnson & Johnson has joined AstraZeneca in the negative spotlight, giving the latter some likely welcome relief. After studying a spate of usually rare blood-clotting issues in people receiving the Anglo-British drugmaker’s Covid-19 vaccine, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is now looking at similar incidents with the US healthcare group’s single-dose shot.
Oqema, a Germany-based distributor of commodity and specialty chemicals, has acquired Spain’s Proquibasa. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
French multinational pharma Sanofi will invest more than €600 million in a new vaccine manufacturing plant at its existing site in Toronto, Canada.
