Evonik to Acquire Durect’s Lactel Polymers
Evonik has entered into an agreement to buy the Lactel absorbable polymer business from Durect Corp., a US-based biopharmaceutical company focused on developing drugs for pain and chronic diseases.
News
Merck Broadens US Life Science Footprint
German pharmaceuticals, chemicals and life sciences group Merck is broadening its manufacturing footprint in the US, splitting a planned €40 million capital investment between its production facilities in Danvers, Massachusetts, and Jaffrey, New Hampshire.
Lummus Wins Indonesia, China Contracts
Lummus Technology and its joint venture partner Chevon Lummus Global (CLG) have won multiple technology contracts from Pertamina Rosneft Pengolahan dan Petrokimia (PRPP), a joint venture between Indonesia’s Pertamina and Russia’s Rosneft Oil, for a grassroots refinery and petrochemical complex in Tuban, Indonesia.
Fareva in Fill & Finish Deal for CureVac Vaccine
French family-owned CDMO Fareva has signed on to handle fill and finish manufacturing for German biotech CureVac’s mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine candidate, CVnCoV, at the CDMO’s’ sites at Val-de-Reuil and Pau, both in France.
Ex-BP Gilvary to Head new Ineos Energy
Confirming speculation earlier in the week, Ineos has announced the appointment of former BP chief financial officer, Brian Gilvary to head a new energy company called Ineos Energy.
European Circular Bioeconomy Fund Closes Second Financing Round
ECBF has announced a second closing of the European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF). Reaching €175 million, ECBF has more than doubled its fund-size within two months after starting its operations.
Kemira and Danimer Develop Biodegradable Coating
Finnish chemicals company Kemira has formed an exclusive partnership with US-based Danimer Scientific to develop biodegradable aqueous barrier coatings for the paper and board industry.
Linde and Snam Link on Clean Hydrogen
Industrial gases group Linde has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Italian energy infrastructure company Snam to jointly develop clean hydrogen projects in Europe.
EMA to Wrap up Pfizer-BioNTech Review on Dec. 21
Facing scrutiny from the manufacturers, health ministers of some member states and the public, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has moved the timetable to conclude data analysis of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine candidate BNT162b2 forward by a week.
Danish Group Build World’s First Green Ammonia plant
A Danish group, comprising catalyst and technology company Haldor Topsoe, sustainable energy company Vestas and renewable energy developer Skovgaard Invest, plans to build a green ammonia plant in Western Jutland.
Arkema to Sell PMMA Business to Trinseo
France’s Arkema has announced plans to sell its PMMA engineering plastic arm to Trinseo of the US for an enterprise value of €1,137 million, slightly more than nine times the business’s estimated 2020 EBITDA.
CureVac Starts Late Stage Covid Vaccine Trial
German biotech CureVac has started a Phase 2b/3 clinical trial of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate CVnCoV. Planned to enroll 36,500 participants in Europe and Latin America, the study is aimed at generating data to support approval of the company’s mRNA vaccine next year. A target date has not been disclosed.
Mitsubishi Plans US MMA Plant, Merges Subsidiaries
Japan’s Mitsubishi Chemical has acquired a greenfield site on the Mississippi River in Geismar, Louisiana, USA, for its proposed 350,000 t/y methyl methacrylate (MMA) plant. It has bought the 67-acre site from synthetic rubber producer Lion Elastomers.
Elementis Rejects Minerals’ Third Offer
Undeterred by the rejection of its two previous offers, Minerals Technologies submitted a revised and third proposal on Dec. 4 to take over UK specialty chemicals company Elementis.
FDA Gives EUA to Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid Vaccine
The US Food and Drug Administration on Dec. 11 awarded an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine. The green light followed a recommendation hours earlier by the US health regulator’s advisory panel, which voted 17 to 4 in favor – with one abstention – to offer the shot to people 16 years of age and older.
Johnson Matthey Wins Multiple Methanol Licenses
UK technology company Johnson Matthey (JM) has won a contract to supply multiple licenses to China’s Ningxia Baofeng Energy to develop five of the largest single-train methanol plants in the world. The contract is the fourth methanol project that Baofeng has awarded to JM.
Wacker to Sell Siltronic Stake to GlobalWafers
Germany’s Wacker Chemie is selling its remaining 30.8% stake in semiconductor specialist Siltronic to GlobalWafers. As part of the transaction, which is subject to regulatory approval, the Taiwan-based company will offer Siltronic shareholders a price of €125 per share, with a minimum acceptance threshold of 65% of outstanding shares.
Arkema Acquires US Photopolymer Specialist
French specialty chemicals producer Arkema has acquired Colorado Photopolymer Solutions. Based in Boulder, Colorado. The US company develops and markets a range of value-added, formulated photopolymer resin solutions for energy curing technology, especially for 3D printing markets.
Flügger Expands Eastward with Eskaro Buy
Danish paints group Flügger has entered into an agreement to take a 70% stake in Eskaro Group, a Swedish-headquartered paint and varnish producer with operations in several eastern European countries.
Axens, Cargill and IFPEN Link on Bio-Acrylic acid
French technology company Axens, its parent company IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN), and US food and agricultural giant Cargill are joining forces to further develop and scale bio-based acrylic acid.
Conrad Keijzer Named new Clariant CEO
The board of directors at Swiss specialty chemicals producer Clariant has tapped Conrad Keijzer to be the company’s new CEO. The 52-year-old Dutch citizen will take up the job on Jan. 1, 2021, and interim CEO Harriolf Kottmann will again focus on his duties as chairman of the board.
Umicore Acquires YPhos Ligand Technology from Bochum University
Umicore‘s business unit Precious Metals Chemistry is further expanding its cross-coupling catalyst portfolio by acquiring Ruhr University Bochum’s YPhos ligands and catalysts technology.
H.Essers: Negotiations for Acquisition of the Chemical Logistics Activities of the Dutch Meeus Group
Logistics service provider H.Essers, currently active in 19 countries from 77 locations, is in advanced negotiations for the acquisition of the logistics and transport activities of the Dutch Meeus Group.
Vitol Agrees $135 Million Penalty with DoJ
The US affiliate of global energy and commodities trader Vitol Group has agreed to pay $135 million to resolve the US Department of Justice’s (DoJ) investigations into corruption, also resolving a parallel investigation in Brazil in relation to the country’s “car wash” money laundering scandal.
US Merck Divests Moderna Holding
US pharma giant Merck has divested its direct holding in Moderna just as the US biotech is on the cusp of receiving an emergency use authorization (EUA) for its mRNA-based Covid-19. It said it expects to “record a small fourth-quarter gain.”
Bayer Seals Cell Therapy Pact with Atara
Bayer has taken another a step toward embracing cell therapy, this week signing a worldwide license agreement with Atara Biotherapeutics for next-generation, mesothelin-directed CAR-T cell therapies for treatment of solid tumors.
Lonza Adds Bioconjugation Suites at Visp
Swiss CDMO Lonza will build two new suites for the commercialization of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) at its Visp site following the signing of a long-term collaboration with a global biopharma company.
Huntsman to Acquire Gabriel Performance Products
Huntsman has agreed to buy Gabriel Performance Products, a North American manufacturer of specialty additives and epoxy curing agents for the coatings, adhesives, sealants and composite end-markets, from funds owned by Audax Private Equity.
Lanxess Lifts Black Pigment Output at Krefeld
Through debottlenecking, German specialty chemicals producer Lanxess has added more than 5,000 t/y of capacity for its black synthetic iron oxide pigments at its Krefeld-Uerdingen site, which it claims as the world’s largest plant for manufacturing synthetic iron oxide pigments. The company said it is responding to increased demand from the construction industry, especially for products to color concrete.
“Vive la chimie” - the French Challenge in Chemical Logistics
France has a long, grand history in chemistry.
Marcus Michel Appointed as CEO of ACG Engineering
ACG has appointed Marcus Michel as the new CEO of ACG Engineering, taking over from Richard Stedman, who will remain with the company as a special advisor over the next few months to support a seamless transition.
A Sustainable Industrial Symbiosis in Flanders
Within the last 24 months, a whole range of companies announced a series of massive investments in their sites in Flanders, the Northern region of Belgium.
US Judge Rejects Bayer’s PCB Settlement Plan
In yet another legal repercussion of Bayer’s 2018 acquisition of Monsanto, a US federal judge has rejected the German group’s proposed $648 million settlement of class-action litigation over historic contamination from polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
PKN Orlen Invests in Petchems, Recycling
In response to global trends, Poland’s PKN Orlen has announced it will spend about 140 billion zloty – or $38 billion – over the next 10 years to center the business around petrochemicals and renewable energy.
EU Chemicals Output Impacted by Pandemic
Despite “encouraging” signs of a recovery of chemical production in May from the coronavirus-related “historic slump” in March and April, progress is now slowing, the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC) said in its report on the first nine months of 2020.
