Bioeconomy Horizons: Transforming the Chemical Industry
The bioeconomy offers the chemical industry new pathways to resilience and sustainability—even as economic and political priorities shift
Biotechnology
14.05.2025 • Topics • Innovation
Phytoinitiator mRNAs as a Game Changer in Agriculture
Unlocking nature’s resilience: phytoinitiator mRNAs empower plants to thrive in deserts, saline soils, and harsh climates—no gene editing required.
19.03.2025 • News • Innovation
Data-Driven Enzyme Immobilization
Inseit, based in Bern, develops biocatalysts for industrial setups using enzyme immobilization and biocomputation. Addressing biotech and sustainability challenges, Inseit was selected for Venture Leaders Biotech and won two Nucleate accelerator prizes.
10.02.2025 • News
Syensqo and Bota Bio Partner on Haircare
Syensqo recently announced a strategic five-year partnership with Bota Bio, a global industrial biotechnology company specializing in biomanufactured, clean, and high-performance consumer products.
18.12.2024 • News
AbbVie to Buy Nimble Therapeutics for $200 Million
US biopharma AbbVie has signed an agreement to acquire US biotechnology company Nimble Therapeutics, including its lead asset, an investigational oral peptide IL23R inhibitor in preclinical development for the treatment of psoriasis and a pipeline of other novel oral peptide candidates with potential across several autoimmune diseases.
09.09.2024 • News
Medera to Go Public through Merger with KVAC
Keen Vision Acquisition Corp. (KVAC) and Medera, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, have entered into a merger agreement. Upon closing of the merger, which is expected to occur in the fourth quarter of 2024, the combined company will operate under the name Medera.
24.04.2024 • News
Pili Reaches Production Milestone for Biobased Anthranilic Acid
French biotech company Pili, a manufacturer of sustainable colorant and pigment, has produced several tons of anthranilic acid, a 100% biobased aromatic compound which the company already converts into dyes and pigments.
17.04.2024 • News
Neptunus Biotech – The Power of the Ocean in Benefit of the Soil
The Mexican start-up Neptunus Biotech extracts bioactive compounds from marine microalgae which are used as a bio-stimulant for crops. The assimilation of these molecules makes the plants more resistant to environmental stress.
22.03.2024 • News
Afyren Neoxy Gets €3.4 Million in After-Biochem Project
Greentech firm Afyren Neoxy, a subsidiary of Afyren, received a €3.4 million payment this week for achieving key milestones with its bio-based low-carbon products.
21.03.2024 • News
Evonik and Vland Biotech Begin Joint Venture
Evonik Vland Biotech, a new joint venture between Evonik China and Shandong Vland Biotech, began operations on January 1, 2024. The venture aims to expand the market presence of their livestock probiotics in Greater China and develop new products. The official opening took place in Qingdao on March 14.
02.11.2023 • News
AstraZeneca Invests $245 Million in French Biotech Cellectis
Anglo-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca entered into a collaboration and investment agreement with Cellectis, a French clinical-stage biotechnology company, to accelerate the development of therapeutics across oncology, immunology and rare diseases.
24.10.2023 • News
CPHI Annual Report on Pharmaceutical Industry
The 7th edition of the CPHI Annual Survey was unveiled today highlighting trends for 2024. A total of 250 pharmaceutical executives were surveyed with 35 probing questions, with their answers informing the industry landscape for the next year, spanning all major pharma markets.
11.10.2023 • News
Olon Opens New Proteins Manufacturing Site in Italy
Olon Biotech, a division of Italian API producer Olon, has inaugurated a new facility for the industrial-scale production of proteins from alternative sources at its site in Settimo, Italy. Olon pegged the investment in the new plant at €70 million.
Providing Solutions by Making the Most of Biomedical Data
Many life science companies generate large swathes of data.
New Biologics and Advanced Therapies
The pharmaceutical market is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by innovation among biologics and advanced therapies (ATs). This shift is not only redefining the treatment landscape but also presenting new opportunities and challenges related to the drug development and manufacturing value chain.
02.08.2023 • News
Toyo Ink Invests in Biotech Company VLP Therapeutics
Japan-based specialty chemicals manufacturer Toyo Ink has signed an agreement to invest in US-based biotech company VLP Therapeutics (VLPT) and its subsidiary company VLP Therapeutics Japan (VLPT Japan). Financial details of the agreement were not revealed.
24.07.2023 • News
SK Biopharmaceuticals Aims to Become 'Big Biotech'
SK Biopharmaceuticals, a South Korean-based biotech, has announced its new strategy to propel the company towards becoming a global “big biotech.”
03.07.2023 • News
Abcam Attracts Interest from US Life Sciences Giants
Abcam, a biotech supplier, has garnered interest from major US life sciences companies Danaher and Agilent as it explores its potential sale. The company has also approached Germany’s Merck and attracted attention from large buyout firms, say sources of Bloomberg.
Navigating Uncertainty in the Biopharma Market
Biopharma companies are facing funding challenges in 2023 as interest rates rise and investors are becoming more risk adverse. There is hope on the horizon, say some analysts, while others project a prolonged slump due to inflation and global instability. Established pharmaceutical companies are often seen as safer investments, with larger developers expected to perform well in 2023, especially if litigation threats against drugs like Zantac disappear. However, concerns about revenue gaps continue for big companies like GSK and Sanofi, and their strategy and leadership will be closely monitored in the coming months.
09.05.2023 • News
Siegfried Takes Majority Stake in Dinamiqs
Swiss CDMO Siegfried has acquired a 95% stake in Dinamiqs, a compatriot biotech focused on developing and manufacturing viral vectors for cell and gene therapies.
12.04.2023 • News
Proxygen and US Merck Collaborate on Molecular Glue Degraders
Austrian biotech Proxygen has announced a multi-year collaboration and license agreement with US drugmaker Merck & Co to identify and develop molecular glue degraders against multiple therapeutic targets. The deal could be worth up to $2.55 billion for Proxygen, based on achieving certain milestones.
08.03.2023 • News
Bachem Inks $531 Million Peptides Manufacturing Deal
Bachem, a Swiss specialist developer and manufacturer of peptides and oligonucleotides, has signed another order worth more than 500 million Swiss francs – or $531 million – to supply large volumes of peptides following a joint development project. The identity of the customer has not been disclosed.
01.03.2023 • News
Pfizer in Talks to Take Cancer Biotech Seagen
Pfizer is in the early stage of talks to acquire Seagen (formerly Seattle Genetics), a US biotech focused on developing treatments for cancer, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal that cited people familiar with the matter. The purchase price could potentially be more than $30 billion.
23.02.2023 • News
Solvay Joins Genesis Consortium to Boost Biotech
Solvay’s venture capital fund has joined the Genesis Consortium, a global alliance of venture capital firms and corporations that support startups leveraging biotechnology to promote both human and planetary health.
22.02.2023 • News
New Biotech VC Vehicle Pledges Series A Funding Aid
A new venture capital vehicle launched by a group of biotech entrepreneurs is designed to act as a seed investor as well as a drug discovery co-pilot for biotech startups that need help with Series-A financing.
08.02.2023 • News
Croda Acquires South Korean Biotech Firm
UK specialty chemicals company Croda International has agreed to buy Solus Biotech, a South Korean company specializing in ceramide and phospholipid technologies and with emerging capabilities in natural retinol. The purchase price is about £232 million on a debt-free, cash-free basis.
10.01.2023 • News
German Merck Licenses Fusion Protein to PDS
Germany‘s Merck has granted an exclusive license for the tumor-targeting IL-12 fusion protein currently known as M9241 to PDS Biotechnology Corporation, a US-based clinical-stage immunotherapy company with a growing pipeline of targeted immunotherapies for cancer and infectious disease.
01.12.2022 • News
AstraZeneca Boosts Cancer Portfolio with Neogene Buy
AstraZeneca has agreed to acquire Neogene Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and manufacture of next-generation T-cell receptor therapies (TCR-Ts) – a promising and novel cell therapy approach to target cancer.
17.11.2022 • News
Indivior Buys US Biotech Opiant
British drugmaker Indivior has agreed to buy Opiant, a US biotech specializing in treatments for addiction and drug overdose. Indivior will pay about $145 million upfront, plus another $68 million if Opiant hits revenue milestones.
25.08.2022 • News
Bavarian Nordic Struggles to Supply Monkeypox Shot
To meet surging global demand for its Jynneos-branded monkeypox vaccine, Danish biotech Bavarian Nordic (BN) is pulling out all stops. Strategies include outsourcing production of other vaccines to CDMOs and exploring the reuse of millions of doses that have technically expired but are still viable.
30.05.2022 • News
Lonza and Israel Biotech Fund Collaborate
Lonza and Israel Biotech Fund (IBF) have signed a framework agreement, under which the Swiss CDMO will provide advice and support for Israeli biotech companies. IBF is dedicated to investing in and developing Israel’s biotech sector.
UK Biotechs Broke Investment Records in 2021
Investment in UK biotech and life science companies scored a lifetime high in 2021, according to new data from the BioIndustry Association (BIA) and Clarivate.
Bioscience Trends in China’s New Five-Year Plan
China’s 14th Five-Year Plan “145” suggests that the dynamics initiated by the previous Five-Year Plan are to be maintained and even surpassed. As in the previous planning period, high priority is given to modernizing the country and the economy through R&D.
Selecting the Right European Location for Life Sciences Activities
Agile and resilient: This is how manufacturers in the life sciences industry could be described during the Covid-19 pandemic. As disruption took hold in many other industries’ supply chains, life sciences companies moved to rapidly develop new products and build new capacity. They are maintaining this momentum, with pharmaceutical and biotech businesses showing continued interest in expanding existing operations in Europe or starting operations from scratch.
Swiss Biotech Report 2021
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.
KPMG
AkzoNobel
Bachem
Medera
Farmindustria
Federchimica
Reverdia
Kaye Scholer
KPMG
Numaferm GmbH
Novozymes Biopharma UK Ltd.
Evonik Industries AG
Groupe Novasep
Getec Group
Dechema e.V.
PhytoAR Biotechnologie GmbH
Managm. Consult. Chemicals
AFYREN SAS
Millipore Corporation
EvaluatePharma
Merck KGaA
Ontario Int. Marketing Ct.
Jennewein Biotechnologie GmbH
Dottikon Exclusive Synthesis AG
Berlin Partner für Wirtschaft und Technologie GmbH
CzechInvest
SchüllerConsulting
Alira Health S.r.l.
Rentschler Biopharma SE
Jan Ramakers Fine Chemical
Tufts University
Hamilton Bonaduz AG
International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre ISC3
PM Group
Bio4Business
Wacker Chemie
GEA Liquid Processing
Olon S.p.A.
Thomson Reuters
BioCampus Straubing
Scienceindustries - Wirtschaftsverband Chemie Pharma Life Sciences
Sartorius AG
Arthur D. Little GmbH
Bio Consortia
Syensqo
European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF)
Henkel AG & Co. KGaA
BioLizard
ACIB Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology
Germany Trade & Invest