September 15, 2008

Hexion Says Huntsman Hid Poor Performance — The fate of Huntsman Corp. is in the hands of Delaware's Court of Chancery.

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Dow Seeks To Divest Acrylics, Latexes — Dow Chemical is exploring the divestiture of its acrylic acid and esters operation in Clear Lake, Texas, and its UCAR Emulsion Systems specialty latex business in North America.

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DuPont, Others Join Eco-Patent Commons — DuPont, Bosch, and Xerox have joined the Eco-Patent Commons, a business effort to help the environment...

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Nalco Teams With Stepan For Oil — Surfactants producer Stepan and water treatment chemical firm Nalco are forming a joint venture, Tiorco, to market their combined line of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) chemicals.

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Partnerships Target Thermal Biomass Energy — Renewable energy start-ups Range Fuels and Ceres will collaborate on R&D of high-yield biomass feedstocks.

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ADA-ES Gets Contract For Activated Carbon — ADA Environmental Solutions has signed what it says is the largest contract to date to supply activated carbon...

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Evonik Sheds U.S. Cyanide Business — Evonik Industries has agreed to sell its U.S. and Canadian cyanide business to private equity company Oaktree Capital Management for an undisclosed sum.

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GlaxoSmithKline Aligns With Cellzome — GlaxoSmithKline has teamed up with the privately owned drug discovery firm Cellzome to find and develop selective kinase inhibitors...

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Xoma and Nabi Garner NIH Support — NIH's National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases has awarded the antibody company Xoma a $65 million contract...

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Software Makers Buy Clinical Trial Firms — Tripos, a supplier of drug discovery informatics products, has agreed to acquire Pharsight...

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Arch Will Acquire Rockwood Pool Line — Arch Chemicals has agreed to acquire Advantis Technologies, a water treatment chemical subsidiary of Rockwood Holdings, for $130 million in cash.

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Business Roundup — Dow Chemical gives money, Sasol earmarks, and Evonik is expanding.

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September 8, 2008

Chlorine Capacity To Grow — Commodity chemicals such as ethylene have received little investment in the U.S. recently, but not so for chlorine.

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Warwick Is Sold To Management Team — The U.S. conglomerate Sequa Corp. has sold Warwick International, a U.K.-based chemical producer and niche chemical distributor, to a management team for about $230 million.

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European Groups Team Up With IBM — The European Chemical Industry Council and five of its members–the chemical associations of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the U.K.–have launched a new initiative, ReachLink...

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One Sasol Project Advances In China — Sasol and Shenhua are teaming up on a feasibility study for an 80,000-barrel-per-day coal-to-liquids (CTL) facility in China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

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Boehringer Ingelheim Taps Chinese Supply — Boehringer Ingelheim and China's Hisoar have entered a production alliance...

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Evonik Will Shut Carbon Black Plant — Evonik will cease carbon black production at its Aransas Pass, Texas, unit at the end of 2008, after which the site will serve as a warehouse.

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Chevron Phillips Closing Puerto Rico Site — Chevron Phillips Chemical is closing its p-xylene plant in Guayama, P.R.

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Sigma-Aldrich To Add High-Potency Plant — Sigma-Aldrich's SAFC Pharma unit will spend $30 million to build a new high-potency active pharmaceutical ingredient (HPAPI) plant in Verona, Wis., near its existing Madison facility.

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BASF And Belgians Target Plant Genetics — In the latest of three agreements signed this year, BASF Plant Science and the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) will work together to research the genetic mechanisms that increase crop yield and tolerance for cold and drought.

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Japan's Shionogi Will Acquire Sciele — Aiming to increase its sales outside its home country, Japanese pharmaceutical firm Shionogi will pay $1.1 billion to acquire Sciele Pharma, a drug company based in Atlanta.

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Pfizer, Medivation Sign Alzheimer's Pact — Pfizer has signed an agreement with Medivation, a San Francisco biopharmaceutical firm...

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Business Roundup — Rockwood Holdings and Kemira have completed the formation of Sachtleben. Also, updates on PPG Industries recent exit, H.B. Fuller Shin-Etsu Chemical acquisitions, and Praxair building hydrogen plants.

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September 1, 2008

King Seeks To Buy Alpharma — Amid this summer's flurry of pharmaceutical sector deal-making, Alpharma, a specialty drug firm based in Bridgewater, N.J., is fending off an unsolicited attempt by King Pharmaceuticals to acquire it for $33.00 per share in cash.

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Chemical Explosion Kills 20 In China — At least 20 people died and 60 were injured on Aug. 26 when a chemical plant exploded in Yizhou, in the southern China region of Guangxi Zhuang.

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Ferro Acquires BP Intermediate — Ferro Corp. has purchased BP's business in 2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylic acid, a raw material used to make liquid-crystal polymers.

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Agricultural Firms Investigate Corn Stover — Monsanto will join Archer Daniels Midland and Deere in a research collaboration studying new technologies and processes to turn corn stover—the inedible parts of corn—and other agriculture biomass into animal feed and biofuel.

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Glaxo Signs Deal For Epilepsy Drug — GlaxoSmithKline has formed a collaboration with Valeant Pharmaceuticals to advance retigabine, a neuronal potassium channel opener for the treatment of epilepsy.

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Codexis Expands Its Partnership With Arch — Codexis and Mumbai-based Arch Pharmalabs have expanded an existing three-year supply deal.

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BASF Launches BioBased Polyol ... — BASF has unveiled Pluracol Balance, a line of polyols based on nonedible castor oil that it is positioning as an alternative to petroleum-based polyols.

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... As Dow Debuts Biobased Antifreeze — Dow Chemical has partnered with the automotive supply company South/Win to launch Dow-branded antifreeze for boats, recreational vehicles, and vacation homes.

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Solutia Aids Solar Power Plant — Solutia will supply its Therminol heat-transfer fluid to a solar power plant designed by the Flagsol subsidiary of Germany's Solar Millennium.

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Genzyme And Advinus Target Malaria Drugs — Genzyme and the Medicines for Malaria Venture will work with India's Advinus Therapeutics to develop new drugs to treat malaria.

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DSM Invests In Ingredients Firm ... — DSM Venturing, the corporate venturing unit of the Netherlands' DSM, has acquired a 29.3% stake in Provexis.

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... But Closes Chinese Citric Acid Plan — DSM will close its citric acid plant in Wuxi, China, by the first quarter of next year.

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Dow Forms Water Pact With Universities — Dow Chemical's water solutions business has formed a development partnership with Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University and the University of Texas, Austin.

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Business Roundup — Sterling Chemicals has extended an agreement to supply BP. Also news on Denham Capital, Altana, Bristol-Myers Squibb, GFS Chemicals, Materia, Galapagos, Anthill Technologies and Ciba.

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• U.S. Court Gives Patient Experimental Drug — TA U.S. District Court judge in Newark, N.J., ruled last week that a 16-year-old patient with Duchenne muscular dystrophy should be allowed to use an experimental drug treatment being developed by PTC Therapeutics and currently in clinical trials. Read more

• Ciba Moves To Reshape Portfolio — Spurred by what CEO Brendan Cummins terms “unquestionably disappointing” first-half results, Ciba plans to reshape its portfolio of specialties businesses to focus on the plastics, coatings, and water-treatment businesses. Read more

• Railroads Tie Up With Urethane — Urethane railroad ties have made their debut in Germany, in the Leverkusen Chempark site of Bayer and other chemical firms. Read more

• Suntech Injects $100 Million in Nitol — China’s Suntech, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of solar cells, has spent $100 million for a minority stake in Nitol Solar, a Russian producer of polysilicon. Read more

• Change At The Helm For Evonik — Evonik has nominated Klaus Engel, 52, to take over as chairman when current Chairman Werner Müller step downs on Dec. 31. Read more

• Sino-Kuwaiti Plant Costs Are Running Up — Kuwait Petroleum estimates that its proposed refining and chemicals joint venture with Chinese state oil and chemical company Sinopec will cost up to $9 billion. Read more

• Tronox Appoints Interim CEO — Tronox named Dennis L. Wanlass interim chairman and CEO succeeding Thomas W. Adams, who will continue as a board member but no longer work for the titanium dioxide maker. Read more

• Bayer TDI Plant Under Way in Shanghai — Bayer MaterialScience has begun construction of its previously announced world-scale toluene diisocyanate plant in Shanghai. The plant, scheduled to start up in 2010, will have initial annual capacity of 250,000 metric tons. Read more

• BASF Synthesizes Hydrophobin — BASF says it has succeeded in synthesizing the protein hydrophobin on an industrial scale. Read more

• Symyx Acquires Integrity Biosolution — Symyx Technologies, in Santa Clara, Calif., has acquired Camarillo, Calif.-based Integrity Biosolution in an all-cash transaction. Read more

• British Biotechs Get Takeover Bids — GeneThera, in Wheat Ridge, Colo., has had its buyout offers rejected twice by the U.K.-based gene therapy company Oxford BioMedica. Read more

• Monsanto Sells Posilac To Lilly — Monsanto will sell its Posilac bovine somatotropin business to Eli Lilly & Co. for $300 million. Read more

• Business Roundup —DSM has acquired the polymerization production assets of Diolen Industrial Fibers in Emmen, the Netherlands. Also news on Air Products & Chemicals, Dow Chemical, ReceptorBio, MDRNA, Cellumen, Roche and Symrise. Read more

• Agrium reaches Deal With Egyptian Government — The Canadian fertilizer company Agrium has reached an agreement with the government of Egypt that resolves a dispute over a blocked Egyptian fertilizer project. Read more

• Workers Strike At Potash Corp. — Unable to come to terms on a contract, some 500 workers at Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan potash mines in Patience Lake, Cory, and Allan, all in Saskatchewan, walked off the job on Aug. 7. Read more

• Road Trip For A Hydrogen Car — Last week, at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, N.J., industrial gas company Linde showcased a BMW 7 Series car powered by a hydrogen internal combustion engine. Read more

• BASF Adds Chelates — BASF has begun building a new plant at its headquarters site in Ludwigshafen, Germany, for production of Trilon M chelating agents. Read more

• CSL Will Acquire Protein Firm Talecris — Australian firm CSL is acquiring Talecris Biotherapeutics in Research Triangle Park, N.C., for $3.1 billion in cash, including $1.2 billion in debt. Read more

• Schering-Plough Expands In China — Schering-Plough has established a wholly owned Chinese subsidiary, Shanghai Schering-Plough Pharmaceutical, by buying out its former joint-venture partners in China. Read more

• Akzo offers Silicone To Replace PTFE — AkzoNobel is debuting a nonstick coating technology positioned as a replacement for polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) in the cookware market. Read more

• DSM Scores An Antibody Contract — The Munich-based biotech firm MorphoSys has enlisted DSM Biologics to conduct process development work and to manufacture MOR202, a fully human antibody targeting CD38, an immune system glycoprotein. Read more

• British Researchers Join Forces — Five of England’s top medical research centers and hospitals will come together next month to create what they say will be Europe’s leading health research powerhouse.Read more

• UCB Transfers England R&D To BioFocus — Belgian pharmaceuticals company UCB has shifted its England-based medicinal chemistry operation to Galapagos’ services subsidiary, BioFocus DPI. Read more

• Evonik, Partner Open Solar Silicon Plant — Evonik Industries and SolarWorld have opened a solar polysilicon plant near Baden, Germany, that is part of their Joint Solar Silicon (JSSI) venture to produce silicon for the solar energy market. Read more

• Business Roundup —DC Chemical, in South Korea, has signed a contract worth $575 million to supply polysilicon to SolarWorld from 2010 to 2016. Also news on Ashland, Kemira, Lanxess, Chembiotek, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck & Co., Bayer Schering Pharma and Wacker Chemie. Read more

• ImClone Rebuffs Buyout Bid From Bristol-Myers Squibb — ImClone Systems says its board of directors and outside advisers are reviewing Bristol-Myers Squibb’s $4.5 billion bid to acquire the 83% of the biopharmaceutical company it doesn’t already own. Read more

• BP, Verenium Target Cellulosic Ethanol — BP and Verenium have formed a partnership to accelerate the development of ethanol made from the enzymatic conversion of cellulosic raw materials. Read more

• Lafarge Strikes Deal For Synthetic Gypsum — Building products manufacturer Lafarge has signed an agreement to buy synthetic gypsum from Mirant, an Atlanta-based energy company. Read more

• Bayer Names Babe as New U.S. Head — Greg Babe will become the president and CEO of Bayer Corp., the Pittsburgh-based arm of Germany’s Bayer, effective Oct. 1. Read more

• PolyOne Licenses Battelle Patents — Plastics compounder PolyOne has licensed a series of biobased plasticizer patents from Battelle, an independent research organization. Read more

• Air Products Signs China Gases Pact — Air Products & Chemicals has signed a long-term contract to supply oxygen and nitrogen for Weihe Clean Energy’s coal-to-chemicals project to be built at the Weinan Hi-Tech Zone in China’s Shaan’xi province. Read more

• SQM Will Invest $1 Billion in Chile — Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile has announced a plan to invest $1 billion by 2010 to expand production of a number of basic chemicals there. Read more

• Marine Products R&D Pact Is Established — British specialty chemical producer Croda has formed a three-year R&D collaboration with Aquapharm Biodiscovery, a Scottish marine biotechnology company. Read more

• EC to Investigate Arsenal, DSM Deal — The European Commission has launched an “in-depth” investigation into competitive implications of Arsenal Capital Partners’ planned purchase of DSM’s specialty products business (C&EN, March 10, page 14).Read more

• 3M Fluid Preserves Smithsonian’s Squid — Curators at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History have selected 3M’s Novec 7100 Engineered Fluid to preserve two giant squids displayed in the new Sant Ocean Hall, set to open in September. Read more

• Oxford Nanopore Licenses Technology — Oxford Nanopore Technologies, a University of Oxford spin-off that develops molecular analysis methods, has exclusively licensed technology developed by Harvard University researchers and collaborators at NIST and the University of California, Santa Cruz. Read more

• Pharmacopeia And Acadia Cut Workforce — Two drug discovery and development companies have revealed restructurings and workforce reductions timed to second-quarter earnings announcements. Read more

• Lonza Sets Up Engineering Unit — Lonza has created Lonza Engineering, a new business based in China that will provide engineering, facility design, and maintenance services for the Chinese market. Read more

• The Medicines Company Buys A German Firm — The Medicines Co. has acquired Germany’s Curacyte Discovery and its lead compound, CU-2010, a small-molecule serine protease inhibitor that is being developed for the prevention of surgical blood loss. Read more

• Business Roundup —Stepan has sold its urethane system business to Bayer for about $10 million. Also news on Almatis, Kemira, Métaux Spéciaux, Evonik Industries, LyondellBasell Industries, Monsanto, and Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals. Read more

• Coal-to-methanol plant set for West Virginia — Consol Energy, the largest U.S. producer of bituminous coal, is working with Synthesis Energy Systems to build an $800 million facility that will convert coal into methanol. Read more

• Rockwood will buy Nalco treatment unit — Rockwood Holdings will pay $75 million to acquire a Nalco business that provides chemicals and services to treat metal. The sale includes a plant in Jackson, Mich. Read more

• American Peptide changes hands — Effective Sept. 1, American Peptide will be owned by Japan’s Otsuka Chemical. Read more

• FMC buying Chinese hydrocolloids firm — FMC plans to acquire Guangzhou, China-based CoLiving Food Ingredients as part of its strategy to increase Chinese market share in specialty hydrocolloid products and services for food and ingredients makers. Read more

• PolyOne will close U.S. and U.K. plants — Polymer compounder PolyOne will close seven plants in North America and one in the U.K. The Cleveland-based company says the shutdowns will result in a net reduction of about 150 jobs. Read more

• Voltaix wins funds from Intel Capital — Voltaix has received $12.5 million in financing from Intel Capital, the investment arm of the computer chip maker. Read more

• Borealis installs Symyx R&D reactors — Polymer maker Borealis has started up a Parallel Pressure Reactor research tool at its innovation center in Porvoo, Finland. Read more

• Dow builds water tech center in Spain — Dow Chemical is spending $15 million to build a water technology development center in Tarragona, Spain. Read more

• Major detergent companies to merge ... — Vestar Capital Partners has agreed to acquire Unilever’s laundry detergents business in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico for $1.45 billion. Read more

• ... As big launderer switches from NPE — Industrial laundry company Cintas is dropping nonylphenol ethoxylate (NPE) surfactants at its 175 facilities across North America. Read more

• Arkema snaps up gas odorant maker — Arkema has acquired Louisiana-based Odor-Tech, which specializes in the production, storage, and marketing of odorant blends for natural gas. Read more

• Weylchem ups Grignard reagents — WeylChem will produce Grignard reagents on an industrial scale at its Elgin, S.C., plant. Read more

• Clariant closes in U.K., adds in U.S. — Addressing overcapacity, Clariant will shutter its site in Horsforth, England, a part of its textile, leather, and paper chemicals division. Read more

• Business Roundup —Mitsubishi Chemical will postpone start-up of a recently completed 60,000-metric-ton-per-year polycarbonate resin plant at its Kurosaki complex in Japan. Also news on Oxiteno, Hexion Specialty Chemicals, Dionex, SKC, Rohm and Haas, Süd-Chemie, Lubrizol, and Cobra Biomanufacturing. Read more

• Teva Will Acquire Generics Rival Barr — Jerusalem-based Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, the world’s largest generic drug company, has agreed to purchase Barr Pharmaceuticals of Montvale, N.J., the fourth largest generics firm, for $7.5 billion plus the assumption of $1.5 billion in debt. Read more

• Shankland To Get Perkin Medal — Ian Shankland, a physical chemist and director of technology for Honeywell Specialty Material’s fluorine products business, will receive the 2008 Perkin Medal. Read more

• Rockwood Will Buy Pigments Producer — Rockwood Holdings has agreed to purchase Holliday Pigments from British specialty chemical maker Yule Catto for $72.5 million. Read more

• Dupont Danisco Plans Cellulosic Ethanol — The three-month-old DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol joint venture has formed a partnership with the University of Tennessee to build a cellulosic ethanol pilot plant in Vonore, Tenn. Read more

• Change In Store For Cognis’ Oleochemicals — German specialties company Cognis has sold its half-share of Malaysia-based Cognis Oleochemicals to Singapore’s PTT Chemical for roughly $165 million. Read more

• PotashCorp Adds Yet More Capacity — PotashCorp of Saskatchewan will add 2.7 million metric tons of potash capacity by increasing efficiency and boosting production at its Allan, Cory, and Rocanville facilities in Saskatchewan. Read more

• Lyondell Refinery Incident Kills Four — On July 18, a massive crane collapsed at the LyondellBasell refinery on the Houston Ship Channel, killing four workers of Deep South Crane & Rigging. Read more

• Albemarle To House Chinese Fire Facility — One of the many casualties of the earthquake that struck China’s Sichuan province in May was the Sichuan Fire Research Institute, where researchers studied fire protection and managed national fire protection standards. Read more

• Firms Wax Prolific — BASF and Sasol are adding wax capacity in two separate moves. Read more

• GSK Plans Shift In Business Direction ... — British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline has established a new set of priorities aimed at reducing its financial exposure to the small-molecule pharmaceuticals business. Read more

• ... As It Signs With Harvard, Cambridge — GlaxoSmithKline has formed drug discovery and development agreements with Harvard University and the University of Cambridge. Read more

• Roche Will Acquire Two Technology Firms — Roche has agreed to shell out more than $300 million for two companies that will broaden its technology platform. Read more

• Air Products To Sell Health Care Business — After a year in which Air Products tried and failed to increase the profitability of its U.S. health care business, the company has decided to look for a buyer for that business unit. Read more

• Alphora Will Add A cGMP Kilo Lab — Ontario-based process development firm Alphora will spend $2.5 million to add a third kilo lab operating under current Good Manufacturing Practices conditions. Read more

• Business Roundup —Albemarle has won a contract to supply Finland’s Neste Oil with catalysts made exclusively for use in Neste’s NExBTL process, which produces diesel fuel from renewable feedstocks. Also news on Gelest, Lenzing, Genzyme, Linde, Ferro, Gedeon Richter, and BioMarin. Read more

• Yara Buys Fertilizer Plant — Norwegian fertilizer maker Yara International has agreed to buy Canada's Saskferco, the nitrogen fertilizer joint venture between Mosaic and provincial government-owned Investment Saskatchewan, for $1.6 billion. Read more

• Linde Secures Silane Supplies ... — Linde has reached two agreements that will increase its ability to supply thin-film photovoltaic makers with high-purity silane gas. Read more

• ... And Offers Alternative To NF3 — Linde is promoting fluorine as an alternative to nitrogen trifluoride after atmospheric scientists expressed concern that emissions of NF3 gas may contribute to global warming. Read more

• SABIC Streamlines European Aromatics — Saudi Basic Industries Corp. will restructure its aromatics operations in the U.K., following a review of the long-term viability of the business. Read more

• Cognis Sheds Fiber Treatments — Specialty chemical supplier Cognis has agreed to sell its Pulcra Chemicals textile and leather process chemicals subsidiary to Germany's Fashion Chemicals for about $40 million. Read more

• Paper Mill May Make Diesel Fuel — The Department of Energy has approved a $30 million grant proposal from Flambeau River BioFuels to build a biofuels plant in Park Falls, Wis. Read more

• Cristal To Buy Titanium Firm — Titanium dioxide pigment maker Cristal Global has reached an agreement to purchase 88% of International Titanium Powder from Titanium Co. of America for an undisclosed price. Read more

• Dow Names CEO For Kuwait Venture — James R. Fitterling has been named CEO of K-Dow Petrochemicals, the proposed $11 billion petrochemical and plastics joint venture between Dow Chemical and Petrochemical Industries Co. of Kuwait. Read more

• New York Gets High-Tech Investments — Momentive Performance Materials, the former General Electric silicones business, is moving its global headquarters to Albany, N.Y., from Wilton, Conn., in August and will build a $65 million, 124,000-sq-ft technology center in nearby Rensselaer County. Read more

• Lonza Snares Novartis Contract — Lonza has secured a long-term contract to help develop and manufacture biopharmaceuticals in Novartis' pipeline. Read more

• Pacific Biosciences Wins Financing — Pacific Biosciences has snagged $100 million in financing from a group of firms that includes the investment arm of semiconductor company Intel. Read more

• ViroPharma To Buy Lev For $443 Million — ViroPharma, in Exton, Pa., has reached an agreement to acquire Lev Pharmaceuticals, a New York City-based biopharmaceutical firm focused on developing treatments for inflammatory diseases, for an up-front payment of $442.9 million. Read more

• Amgen Settles With J&J For $200 Million — Amgen has agreed to pay Johnson & Johnson $200 million to settle a 2005 lawsuit alleging the biopharmaceutical company's sales-bundling of its Neupogen and Neulasta infection-fighting therapies with Aranesp, its antianemia drug, created a discount that violated antitrust laws. Read more

• GSK To Collaborate On Insomnia Drug — GlaxoSmithKline will collaborate with Actelion for the development and commercialization of Actelion's almorexant, an orexin receptor antagonist in Phase III clinical development for insomnia. Read more

• Business Roundup —The Foundation for Research, Science & Technology in New Zealand has approved $605 million in contracts with more than two dozen research organizations over six years. Also news on Merck, Sunoco, Shell, Saudi Aramco, Hunstman Corp., DSM, and Jubilant Blosys. Read more

• Hexion and Huntsman Bicker Over Loans — Hexion Specialty Chemicals says it will try–but doubts it will have much success–securing alternative financing for the $10.6 billion purchase of Huntsman Corp. Read more

• U.K. School Launches Process R&D Institute — The University of Leeds has launched the Institute of Process Research & Development (iPRD). Read more

• BASF and Evonik Link for CMP Slurries — German chemical giants BASF and Evonik Industries have agreed to collaborate on the development of ceria-based chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) slurries for fabricating computer chips. Read more

• Rohm and Haas Opens lithography Facility — Rohm and Haas's electronic materials business has opened a $60 million facility in Marlborough, Mass. Read more

• Cargill Slates U.S. Soy Polyols Plant — Cargill has broken ground on a large-scale soy-based polyols plant in Chicago, to begin operation in November. Read more

• Arkema Commits To New Auto Refrigerant — Arkema has revealed plans to make industrial-scale quantities of hydrofluoroolefin-1234yf, a new auto air-conditioning refrigerant. Read more

• Carlyle Invests in China's Sinorgchem — The Carlyle Group, a private equity firm, will inject $87 million into Sinorgchem. Read more

• Minakem Acquires Furfural Maker Penn — The French fine chemicals firm Minakem has acquired Penn Specialty Chemicals. Read more

• Kohlberg Will get PPG Auto Glass — PPG Industries has signed an agreement to sell a majority interest in its auto glass business to private equity firm Kohlberg & Co. for $330 million. Read more

• Praxair Finds New Market For Cooling System — Praxair has signed a contract to supply a cooling system dubbed NCOOL. Read more

• Shire Gets Peptide Specialist Jerini — Shire has agreed to acquire Berlin-based Jerini, a drug discovery and development firm specializing in peptides, for $555 million. Read more

• Three Drug Majors Back Start-Up Enlight — Merck & Co., Pfizer, and Eli Lilly & Co. are the founding members of Enlight Biosciences. Read more

• Novartis to Buy All of Speedel — Novartis will pay a total of $880 million to first increase its stake in the Swiss biopharmaceutical firm Speedel. Read more

• Business Roundup —Far Eastern Textile and its affiliates have agreed to acquire Invista's 70% stake in their jointly owned purified terephthalic acid plant. Also news on Houghton International, International Finance, Braskem, Evonik Industries, BASF, Seattle Genetics, Eli Lilly & Co., and Solvay. Read more

• South Korea's DC Plans Big Polysilicon Expansion — South Korean chemical producer DC Chemical will spend almost $1.1 billion to build new facilities that will produce polysilicon for the solar industry. Read more

• EC Okays Merger of Hexion, Huntsman — The European Commission has cleared Hexion Specialty Chemicals' $10.6 billion takeover of Huntsman Corp. Read more

• EU Proceeds on Chemical Cartel — The European Commission has sent a Statement of Objections to a number of companies that it says participated in a cartel covering the supply of calcium carbide and magnesium powder, products used in the steel and industrial gases industries. Read more

• Lyondell to Close Polyethylene Plant — LyondellBasell is closing its low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plant in Pasadena, Texas. Read more

• Wacker Venture Opens Silicon Wafer Plant — Siltronic Samsung Wafer, a joint venture of Samsung Electronics and the Wacker Chemie subsidiary Siltronic, has commissioned a $1 billion plant in Singapore. Read more

• Top Rhode Island Court Overturns Lead Verdict — Last week, Rhode Island's Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling that found three makers of lead-based paints and pigments liable for covering up the health risks of their products. Read more

• PQ Will Sell Off a Silicate Facility — PQ Corp. owner Carlyle Partners will sell PQ's sodium silicate plant in Utica, Ill. Read more

• Albemarle Redesigns Organometallic Route — Albemarle is implementing a manufacturing process at its main organometallic plant in Pasadena, Texas. Read more

• Total Names de Wolf CEO of Sartomer — Specialty chemicals firm Sartomer has named Marcel de Wolf CEO. Read more

• Air Liquide Adds Gases In Europe — French industrial gases producer Air Liquide will spend about $250 million to build a hydrogen plant at its site in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Read more

• Lonza And Osiris Ink Stem Cell Partnership — Lonza has formed a clinical development and commercial manufacturing agreement with Osiris Therapeutics for the biotech firm's adult stem cell therapy. Read more

• Schering-Plough, Merck End Venture — Merck & Co. and Schering-Plough have dissolved their respiratory joint venture after withdrawing their New Drug Application for a pill that combines the active ingredients in Schering-Plough's Claritin and Merck's Singulair. Read more

• Business Roundup —Dow Chemical will spend $88 million to expand its Edina, Minn., water filtration membranes facility by 25%. Also news on ConocoPhillips, Mitsui Chemicals, Hikal, Wellman, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma, Bayer Healthcare, Galapagos, and Bristol-Myers Squibb. Read more

• EC Continues Its Anticartel Action — The European Commission is continuing its anticartel activity with actions aimed at the detergents industry and makers of the specialty chemical aluminum fluoride. Read more

• Chemtura Ends Effort To Sell Itself — Chemtura says its board of directors has decided to end its pursuit of a sale, merger, or other business combination after determining that the price was unlikely to be high enough. Read more

• BASF Looks Beyond Europe For Biotech — Stung by its still unsuccessful 10-year effort to introduce a genetically modified potato in Europe, BASF is putting the project on a back burner to focus instead on non-European projects. Read more

• Novozymes Slates Enzymes In Nebraska — Novozymes will spend between $80 million and $100 million to build an enzyme facility in Blair, Neb. Read more

• Celanese goes to Shanghai For R&D — Celanese will set up a 215,000-sq-ft R&D center in Shanghai's Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park. Read more

• Mosaic Will Sell Fertilizer Stake — Mosaic and Investment Saskatchewan, the investment arm of the Saskatchewan government, are putting their nitrogen fertilizer partnership, Saskferco Products, up for sale. Read more

• New Investments For Turkish Chemicals — Two Western European companies are investing in the Turkish chemical industry. Read more

• Perstorp Launches Biotech Project — The Swedish specialty chemicals producer Perstorp has embarked upon two five-year research projects aimed at replacing fossil fuel raw materials with renewable ones. Read more

• Hercules Buys Brazilian Firm ... — Hercules has acquired Logos Química, a São Paulo, Brazil-based provider of services and chemicals for the pulp, paper, and coatings industries. Read more

• ... While Ferro Cuts Brazilian Assets — Ferro has stopped manufacturing tile frits and tile color products at its plant in Americana, Brazil, to reduce operating costs. Read more

• Pfizer Invests In Eye Firm EyeCyte — Continuing its push for biotech partnerships and acquisitions, Pfizer has invested $3 million in EyeCyte. Read more

• Air Liquide Aids Superconductor Cable — The world's longest superconductor power transmission cable has been connected to the power grid in Holbrook, N.Y. Read more

• Novartis Extends TB Drug Alliance — The Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases, in Singapore, will collaborate with the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development for another five years. Read more

• Business Roundup — Lanxess will acquire an iron oxide pigments plant in Jinshan, China, from Jinzhuo Chemicals. Also news on Cyanco, Saudi Basic Industries Corp., Bayer, Agrium, QuantumSphere, The European Crop Protection Association, Genzyme, and WuXi PharmaTech. Read more

• Chip Makers Go Solar — Two giants of silicon-based computer chips are setting their sights on solar power with major initiatives. Read more

• Kemira Will Spin Off Paints, Cut Jobs — The Finnish chemical company Kemira will spin off Tikkurila, its coatings business, into a separate public company. Read more

• Celanese Settles Legacy Lawsuit — Celanese has agreed to pay $107 million to settle claims that it participated in a scheme to fix U.S. prices for polyester staple fiber. Read more

• BASF Boosts Concrete Additives In India — BASF has opened a concrete admixtures plant in Calcutta, its fourth in India. Read more

• Süd Chemie, Ashland Target Metal Casting — Süd Chemie and Ashland plan to expand an existing European partnership into a 50-50 global joint venture serving the metal casting industry. Read more

• Kelco, Fluxome Will Scale Up Resveratrol — CP Kelco, a unit of specialty chemicals maker J. M. Huber, and Fluxome Sciences, a Danish biotechnology company, will jointly develop and commercialize resveratrol. Read more

• Dow and Toray Win Membrane Contracts — Dow Chemical's water solutions business will supply its Filmtec reverse-osmosis membranes to a seawater desalination project that will provide potable water for Sydney, Australia. Read more

• Pfizer and Ranbaxy End Lipitor Dispute — Pfizer and India's Ranbaxy Laboratories have settled patent litigation over Lipitor, the cholesterol-lowering drug that represented about a quarter of Pfizer's $49 billion in sales last year. Read more

• Asahi Kasei Buys Arthritis Drug — Japanese chemical maker Asahi Kasei has bought the Japanese rights to sell pentosan sodium polysulfate for treating osteoarthritis. Read more

• Boehringer Ingelheim Will Acquire Actimis — Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim has agreed to acquire Actimis Pharmaceuticals, a privately held biotech company in San Diego. Read more

• Bayer R&D Draws on Tobacco — Bayer and its subsidiary Icon Genetics have opened a pilot facility that employs a new process for producing biotech drugs in tobacco plants. Read more

• Harvard Licenses Technology To Start-Up — Harvard University has licensed paper-based microfluidic "lab-on-a-chip" technology. Read more

• Bidding War Erupts For Czech Firm Zentiva — Sanofi-Aventis has made a $2.6 billion takeover bid for the Czech generic drugs maker Zentiva. Read more

• Business Roundup — LyondellBasell intends to expand its global polypropylene compounding capacity by 30% to 1.2 million metric tons per year by the end of 2009. Also news on Dow Chemical, Airgas, Lubrizol, Sumitomo Seika Chemicals, Roche, Patheon, and GlaxoSmithKline. Read more

• U.S. Sues Honeywell Over Bulletproof Vests — The Department of Justice has sued Honeywell International to recover damages from the sale of laminated fiber materials supplied to bulletproof-vest makers. Read more

• Air Products Selling Adhesives to Ashland — Air Products & Chemicals has agreed to sell its business in pressure-sensitive adhesives and nonpressure emulsions to Ashland for $92 million. Read more

• Braskem Advances With Green Plastic — Braskem has decided on its petrochemical complex in Triunfo, Brazil, as the site for a $300 million "green polyethylene" plant. Read more

• EU Sets Fines For Sodium Chlorate — The European Commission has levied price-fixing fines totaling roughly $120 million on producers of sodium chlorate, a paper-bleaching chemical. Read more

• British, Qataris Study CO₂ storage — Imperial College London, Royal Dutch Shell, the government of Qatar, and the Qatar Science & Technology Park will study storing carbon dioxide in underground calcium carbonate reservoirs. Read more

• Evonik Mulls Adding Methyl Mercaptan ... — Evonik Industries is considering construction of a methyl mercaptan plant at its Theodore, Ala., site. Read more

• ... As It Closes an Orthoesters Plant — Evonik Industries will close its orthoesters plant in Niederkassel, Germany, in the third quarter of this year. Read more

• AkzoNobel Chooses New Paints Head — Tex Gunning, 57, a former Unilever executive, will join AkzoNobel on Sept. 1 as managing director of decorative paints and as a nominee to the firm's management board. Read more

• Invitrogen to Acquire Applied Biosystems — Invitrogen, the biotechnology consumables and services firm, will purchase Applera's Applied Biosystems Group. Read more

• Glaxo Cuts R&D Jobs, Eyes Restructuring — GlaxoSmithKline is looking to shake up its approach to R&D. Read more

• Astex Forms Alliance With J&J's Janssen — Astex Therapeutics will work with Janssen Pharmaceutica, a Johnson & Johnson company in Belgium, to develop anticancer drugs. Read more

• Pfizer and UCSF Will Collaborate — Pfizer and the University of California, San Francisco, are setting up a wide-ranging research collaboration. Read more

• Business Roundup — Tri Chemical Laboratories will produce high-purity chemicals developed by JSR that will then be supplied to manufacturers of electronic components. Also news on Rohm and Haas, Siam Styrene Monomer, Asahi Kasei Kuraray, NineSigma, DuPont, LyondellBasell , and WuXi PharmaTech. Read more

• CVC Buys Evonik Stake — The private equity firm CVC Capital Partners has paid roughly $3.7 billion to acquire a 25.01% stake in Evonik Industries. Read more

• Eastman Reorganizes Gasification Projects — Eastman Chemical is acquiring the 50% stake in a $1.6 billion gasification project proposed for Beaumont, Texas, from its partner Green Rock Energy. Read more

• Evonik Advances Role In Lithium Batteries — Evonik Industries has taken steps in its quest to become Europe's leading producer of lithium-battery components. Read more

• Hexcel Wins Big Contract From Airbus — The European airplane manufacturer Airbus has awarded U.S.-based Hexcel a contract to supply carbon fiber composite materials for the A350 XWB aircraft. Read more

• Japanese Firm Made Phosgene Illegally — Japanese police raided the offices of Osaka-based Ishihara Sangyo Kaisha on June 2 after the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry accused the firm of illegally producing phosgene. Read more

• EC Okays France's Nanotech Funding — The European Commission has given the green light to more than $71 million that the French government has provided to support the Genesis R&D program. Read more

• Ciba Expands High-Tech Pact — Ciba and Finland's VTT Technical Research Center have signed a cooperation agreement in the field of "printed intelligence". Read more

• More Chemical Firms Raise Prices Broadly — Other companies are following the lead of Dow Chemical, which recently announced it is seeking to raise prices for all of its products by up to 20% to pass along high energy costs. Read more

• Canada Opens Carbon Exchange — The Montreal Climate Exchange launched futures trading for domestic carbon dioxide equivalent units on May 30. Read more

• Novartis Buys Protez, Antibiotics Developer — Novartis has agreed to acquire Protez Pharmaceuticals, a Malvern, Pa.-based firm that is developing PZ-601, a new antibiotic in a class of agents known as carbapenems. Read more

• Gen-Probe Trumps Solvay In Bid For Innogenetics — Gen-Probe, a developer of nucleic acid diagnostics for human disease, has launched a bid to acquire Innogenetics. Read more

• Biopharma Firms Cut Back On Staff — Pharmacopeia will reduce its workforce by approximately 15% to 150. Read more

• Borealis Invests In Pollution Reducer — The European polymers producer Borealis is spending more than $7 million to expand capacity for AdBlue. Read more

• Business Roundup — Saudi Basic Industries Corp. affiliate Saudi Kayan Petrochemical has signed a $6 billion agreement with a consortium of banks and financial institutions. Also news on SK Energy, Dow AgroSciences, Süd-Chemie , Cabot, Nantero, ThalesNano, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Read more

• Chemical, Drug Firms Offer Earthquake Relief — Major Chinese and international chemical and pharmaceutical producers are donating funds, products, and technology to assist earthquake relief efforts in China. Read more

• Tronox Cuts Back — Tronox, the world's third largest producer of the white pigment titanium dioxide, is laying off 68 U.S. workers, about 13% of its U.S. workforce, and suspending its 401k matching-contribution retirement plan as a result of problems in its business. Read more

• Canadian Firms Will Sequester CO₂ — Enhance Energy of Calgary, Alberta, will use waste carbon dioxide from fertilizer maker Agrium for enhanced oil recovery projects. Read more

• Rohm And Haas Plans Facility In Vietnam — Rohm and Haas will spend $10 million to build an acrylic emulsion facility in Vietnam to serve the country's paints and coatings market. Read more

• Air Liquide Buys An Edwards Business — Air Liquide's U.S. electronics business has agreed to acquire the chemical management division of Edwards Vacuum. Read more

• BASF Sets Plant For Biodiesel Catalyst — BASF plans to build a 60,000-metric-ton-per-year sodium methylate plant in Guaratinguetá, Brazil, the company's largest site in South America. Read more

• <Kumho Cries Foul Over Solutia Lawsuit — South Korea's Kumho Petrochemical says Solutia's Flexsys subsidiary has no standing to sue it and others for infringing Flexsys' patents. Read more

• Cambridge Display Forms OLED Pact — Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) developer Cambridge Display Technology and its parent company, Sumitomo Chemical, have signed a joint development agreement with Germany's Novaled. Read more

• Bayer Establishes Robotics Group — Bayer MaterialScience has set up a global robotics working group intended to meet demand for household robots. Read more

• Lexicon Reorganizes And Cuts R&D jobs — Lexicon Pharmaceuticals is reorganizing to cut costs and increase the efficiency of its R&D operations. Read more

• Innocentive seeks Health Care solutions — Innocentive, the online R&D service that got its start by offering cash prizes to scientists who solve problems for "seekers" on its website, has launched a similar innovation program for health care challenges. Read more

• Bristol-Myers Squibb Will Acquire Kosan — Bristol-Myers Squibb has agreed to acquire the cancer therapeutics company Kosan Biosciences for about $190 million in cash. Read more

• Lonza Buys Cell Technology Firm — Lonza has acquired Amaxa, a leader in gene-transfer technology, for an undisclosed sum. Read more

• Business Roundup — Lanxess is realigning its butyl rubber plant in Zwijndrecht, Belgium, in a move that could cut up to 93 of the 470 jobs currently at the site. Also news on Innospec, BASF, Sumitomo Chemical, Süd-Chemie, Toray Industries, Solutia, Sterling Chemicals, Polymer Technology Group, and Wyeth. Read more

• Biotech Industry Posts Record Deals And Dollars — The global biotechnology industry set record levels in financing and deal-making in 2007, according to the just-released annual report "Beyond Borders" from the consulting firm Ernst & Young. Read more

• Rockwood and Kemira Form TiO2 Venture — Rockwood Holdings and Kemira are combining their titanium dioxide businesses into a joint venture to be based in Germany. Read more

• Solutia Will Close Plant In Wales — Solutia's Flexsys subsidiary will close its rubber chemicals plant in Ruabon, Wales, by the end of the year. Read more

• China Gets DuPont Disinfectant Plant — DuPont has opened a facility in Shenzhen, China, for its Virkon S brand virucidal disinfectant. Read more

• Evonik Sheds Unit, Expands Another — Evonik Industries will sell its initiators business to Philadelphia-based Speyside Equity for an undisclosed sum. Read more

• FMC Will Acquire ISP Alginates — FMC has agreed to buy International Specialty Products' alginates and food blends business. Read more

• New Head Named at SABIC Polymers Unit — SABIC Innovative Plastics, the former GE Plastics business purchased last year by Saudi Basic Industries, has named Charlie Crew, 56, president and CEO. Read more

• Antisoma Acquires Cancer Drug Firm — Seeking to become a bigger player in the oncology arena, London-based Antisoma will pay $52 million in an all-stock deal to acquire Boston's Xanthus Pharmaceuticals. Read more

• Dow Corning Opens Solar Test Facility — Dow Corning has opened a $3 million facility in Freeland, Mich., to showcase its silicone and silicon technologies for the manufacture of solar panels. Read more

• Cabot, Bluestar Slate Second Silica Plant — Cabot and China National Bluestar Group will spend $40 million to build a fumed silica plant in Tianjin in northeast China. Read more

• Daiichi Sankyo Buys German Biotech Firm — Japan's Daiichi Sankyo will pay $235 million to acquire U3 Pharma, a privately held German biotechnology company focused on antibodies for the treatment of cancer. Read more

• U.K. Cancer Institute Links With AstraZeneca — Cancer Research Technology, the development and commercialization arm of the nonprofit Cancer Research UK, has signed on AstraZeneca as the first partner in its clinical development program. Read more

• Business Roundup — Chemtura will increase capacity 25% for the industrial lubricant additive calcium sulfonate at its West Hill, Ontario, site by the end of November. Also news on Kumho Tires, Albemarle, Solvay, Quaker Chemical, Rockwood Holdings, Air Products & Chemicals, The European Commission, and BASF. Read more

• DuPont, Genencor Link For Cellulose Ethanol — DuPont and Danisco's Genencor enzymes subsidiary are forming a joint-venture company that will develop and commercialize ethanol from nonfood, cellulosic feedstocks. Read more

• Honeywell Looks To Aviation Biofuels — Honeywell International's jet engine Aerospace division and its UOP process technology division are partnering with Airbus, JetBlue Airways, and International Aero Engines to study biofuel use for commercial aircraft. Read more

• Carlyle Group To Acquire Neochimiki — The private equity firm Carlyle Group has acquired 74% of the shares of Greek chemical producer and distributor Neochimiki for $1.15 billion. Read more

• Solvay Preferred For Egyptian Buy ... — Solvay is the preferred candidate to acquire 80% of Alexandria Sodium Carbonate. Read more

• ... And Will Burn Trash For Fuel — Solvay has started construction of a $230 million plant that will convert plastic, wood, textiles, paper, and cardboard into electricity and steam. Read more

• Saltigo Renames Insect Repellant — To assuage personal care industry concerns, Saltigo, the fine chemicals arm of Lanxess, has renamed its Bayrepel brand insect repellents Saltidin. Read more

• Georgia Gulf Closes PVC Unit — Polyvinyl chloride maker Georgia Gulf has closed its 500 million-lb-per-year polyvinyl chloride facility in Oklahoma City. Read more

• Cambridge Major Sets U.S. API Facility — Cambridge Major Laboratories will break ground next month on what it says will be the most modern plant in the U.S. for active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) production. Read more

• Flexsys Files Rubber Complaint — The Flexsys rubber chemicals subsidiary of Solutia filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission against China's Sinorgchem and South Korea's Kumho Petrochemical and Kumho Tire. Read more

• Intercell Buys Vaccines Firm — Intercell will acquire the Gaithersburg, Md.-based vaccine firm Iomai in an all-stock deal valued at $189 million. Read more

• Merck, Ranbaxy Team For Anti-Infectives — Merck & Co. and Ranbaxy Laboratories of India, have entered into a five-year pact to develop anti-infective drugs. Read more

• Cabot Aerogel Used In Roofing — Cabot's Nanogel aerogel will be incorporated into a 52,000-sq-ft air-supported fabric roofing system to cover an athletic center at Radford University in Radford, Va. Read more

• Bristol-Myers, KAI Link For Heart Drug — Bristol-Myers Squibb has signed an agreement to develop and commercialize a heart drug from the California biotechnology firm KAI Pharmaceuticals. Read more

• Business Roundup — Solvay is investing $40 million to build a 125,000-metric-ton-per-year plant at its Green River, Wyo., facility to produce SOLVAir Select 300. Also news on MeadWestvaco Specialty Chemicals, Cambrex, Total, Terra Industries, The German Chemical Industry Association, BASF Coatings, BASF, and Evonik industries. Read more

• Merck Cuts Jobs, Halts Natural Products Research — Merck & Co. said last week that it will eliminate 1,200 sales jobs in the U.S. by the end of July.