CordenPharma has announced the approval of a long-term expansion initiative “to further increase our flexibility, efficiency and ultimately, cost-effective production” at its solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) in Boulder, Colorado. This follows the installation of an extra-large 3,000L SPPS vessel at the site earlier this year in response to growing demand for peptide APIs.
SOCMA has announced a change of date for the first Specialty & Custom Chemicals Show under its ownership. The event, which the association bought in August, has been moved from February to 14-16 April 2021, still at the Omni in Fort Worth, Texas.
“Despite the recent resurgence of coronavirus cases, news of these vaccines has health experts targeting Q2 of 2021 as a beginning for a return to normalcy,” said SOCMA president and CEO, Jennifer Abril. Among the safety protocols that will be in place throughout will be:
* Daily health checks
* Mandatory masks
Lanxess has expanded its capacity for black synthetic iron oxide pigments at its Krefeld-Uerdingen site in Germany by over 5,000 tonnes/year. This is the world’s largest plant for these pigments.
The investment was made, according to Holger Hüppeler, head of the Inorganic Pigments business unit, because of growing demand from the construction industry, which is increasingly using black pigments to colour concrete. The Bayferrox 330 and 340 grades are widely used in concrete paving stones and roof tiles, and in architecture.
Lanxess has expanded its capacity for black synthetic iron oxide pigments at its Krefeld-Uerdingen site in Germany by over 5,000 tonnes/year. This is the world’s largest plant for these pigments.
The investment was made, according to Holger Hüppeler, head of the Inorganic Pigments business unit, because of growing demand from the construction industry, which is increasingly using black pigments to colour concrete. The Bayferrox 330 and 340 grades are widely used in concrete paving stones and roof tiles, and in architecture.
IMCD, which had already made multiple acquisitions across the world, has announced two more in Mexico and a further one in Turkey. The company is the world’s fourth largest distributor of chemicals.
IMCD's Mexican affiliate, which was established in April to address the pharmaceuticals, food, nutrition and personal care industries, has acquired Millikan and Banner Química. Both are based in Mexico City, with combined revenues of $15 million and 60 employees in 2019.
Kaneka Eurogentec, an affiliate of Japan’s Kaneka based at Liège, Belgium, has signed an agreement to make the INO-4800 DNA vaccine candidate for COVID-19 for Inovio Pharmaceuticals, a US biotech, at commercial scale in its GMP facility. Financial terms were not disclosed.
INO-4800 uses plasmid DNA as a drug substance and has just received US FDA clearance to move to the second part of its Phase II-III clinical trials. These trials have financial support from the US Department of Defense.
WeylChem has announced a “larger scale” investment in a new production facility for aromatic ring chlorination at its Frankfurt-Höchst site in Germany. The company said that this will offer both increased capacity and high flexibility under European production standards. Production is due to start in Q2 2022.
The new plant will be able to refine 4-chlorobenzotrichloride, a by-product of the process, to 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorobenzoyl chloride, thus reducing the site’s waste footprint. At present, it goes to disposal. All the other by-products are already being refined or sold.
