Drug discovery firm Evotec, which also owns the CDMO Aptuit, has acquired the ‘Biopark by Sanofi’ (BBS) operation in Toulouse, France, and will rename it ‘Campus Curie’. The 19 employees are all transferring. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The company said that this acquisition will allow it “to significantly expand its existing capacities at the site over the near to mid-term while retaining maximum flexibility to build up long-term capacity as needed”.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has published two reports on the direct and indirect effects of REACH in driving the substitution of hazardous chemicals with safer alternatives. This was based on a survey of industry associations and over 80 companies, many of which had been affected by REACH processes.

At the end of June, three more major exhibitions that attract high attendances from the fine and speciality chemicals and which were due to take place in the autumn, were cancelled or postponed to 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic: CPhI Worldwide, In-Cosmetics, ChemUK and Making Pharmaceuticals. This leaves only Chemspec Europe among the major events still going ahead, as things stand.

Via CA Clover Intermediate II Investments, private equity firm the Carlyle Group is to invest about $940 million in fresh equity capital for a 20% stake in Piramal Pharma, the healthcare subsidiary of Indian conglomerate Piramal Enterprises (PEL). This values the business at $2,775 million with an upside component of up to $360 million depending on the company’s performance this financial year.

Nouryon has completed two recently announced advances: the acquisition of the carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) business of J.M. Huber, including a manufacturing plant and advanced R&D facility located in Äänekoski, Finland; and doubling organic peroxides at its plant in Itupeva, Brazil.

Clariant has taken what exective chairman Hariold Kottmann (above) called “another significant step towards becoming a pure-play speciality chemical company”, by completing the sale of its Masterbatches business to PolyOne on 1 July. It expects to divest the Pigments business shortly, after which it will make with an extraordinary cash distribution of CHF 3.00/share to its shareholders.

Small molecule CDMO Cambrex is to spend $3.6 million to increase flexible drug substance manufacturing capacity by 6 m³ (25%) at Karlskoga, Sweden, in response to growing demand for commercial-scale API manufacturing. Engineering work has already commenced and should be completed by November.