Chemical industry news and analysis

Iran port explosion highlights issues of shipping hazardous chemicals

Intersecting regulations and jurisdictions mean rules can be accidentally or deliberately overlooked

At least 70 dead in Iran port explosion and fire

More than 1000 people injured after cargo caught fire and exploded

In search of truth and rules

To codify and predict ever more complex phenomena is one of science’s great drivers

Merck KGaA to buy cancer specialist SpringWorks

$3.9 billion deal boosts Merck’s pipeline as it faces patent expiries

Highlights

Making genetically engineered food palatable

The next generation of genetically altered food is forging ahead, aiming to be attractive to consumers rather than producers. Katrina Megget finds out whether Crispr means crisper salads

The EU has recently approved the use of glyphosate for another decade. Bárbara Pinho examines the controversial pesticide’s presence in British farming and considers the possibility of a ban in the UK

Putting the F in pharma

Adding fluorine to drug molecules can be tricky, but is often worthwhile. Rachel Brazil talks to the chemists trying to tame the ninth element

On the trail of the male contraceptive pill

As multiple novel male contraception compounds enter clinical trials, is family planning about to undergo a second revolution? James Mitchell Crow reports

The promise of drugs that send proteins to the shredder

Andy Extance charts how research into revolutionary targeted protein degradation therapies is moving from serendipity to strategic discovery

Pharmaceutical

In search of truth and rules

To codify and predict ever more complex phenomena is one of science’s great drivers

Merck KGaA to buy cancer specialist SpringWorks

$3.9 billion deal boosts Merck’s pipeline as it faces patent expiries

Gilead settles US HIV drug kickback lawsuit

Firm will pay $202 million to federal and state governments

Optimise drug discovery: predicting transporter-mediated drug interactions

Regulation

Iran port explosion highlights issues of shipping hazardous chemicals

Intersecting regulations and jurisdictions mean rules can be accidentally or deliberately overlooked

Giving companies room to grow

Can shopping centres and offices become urban lab spaces for innovative companies to grow and scale-up?

Acceptable levels of (epi)genetic engineering

Amplifying or silencing genes may be preferable to permanently changing genetic code

29 dead in explosions at two illegal fireworks factories in India

Incidents in Gujarat and West Bengal highlight minimal oversight of hazardous industry

BioLab fined for fire and chemical plume at US plant

‘Improperly stored’ pool chemicals reacted with water to release chlorine

Government reduces UK Reach fees by ‘£40 million’

Registration fees for most chemicals reduced, but uncertainty remains over safety data requirements

Industrial chemistry

Improving propylene synthesis using light-activated catalysis could cut emissions

Single-atom photocatalyst makes propylene at milder temperatures

Generative AI pipeline creates promising antimicrobial peptides

AI model extrapolates beyond training data to predict diverse antimicrobial structures

Far more drugs could be taken orally by formulating them with silica nanoparticles

Many more medicines could be made water soluble making taking them easier for patients

Mapping metabolite disturbances by drugs

High-throughput metabolomic profiling gives insight into unpredictable drug effects

Metal–organic framework captures carbon dioxide at industrially relevant temperatures

Material could improve energy efficiency of capturing carbon from industy’s exhaust gases

Fluorspar to fluorine chemicals without going via hazardous hydrogen fluoride

Safer way to turn calcium fluoride mineral into valuable industrial materials

Banned pigments found in tattoo inks sold in the EU

Nine out of 10 green and blue inks analysed violate Reach regulations

Nanopore sequencing set to transform our understanding of proteins

Rapid sequencing technique can not only deal with proteins hundreds of amino acids long but can detect modifications

Newsletters

Agrochemical

Government reduces UK Reach fees by ‘£40 million’

Registration fees for most chemicals reduced, but uncertainty remains over safety data requirements

Bayer ordered to pay more than $2 billion to US cancer victim

Jury decided glyphosate-based Roundup herbicide caused cancer, but company will appeal

Petrochemical

The hole in the UK chemical industry

Norman Keane thinks ICI’s breakup has left a gap in scale-up knowhow and skills, as well as a lack of facilites

Improving propylene synthesis using light-activated catalysis could cut emissions

Single-atom photocatalyst makes propylene at milder temperatures

Fine and speciality

The hole in the UK chemical industry

Norman Keane thinks ICI’s breakup has left a gap in scale-up knowhow and skills, as well as a lack of facilites

The problem of scale-up in the UK

What’s the point of knowledge generation if we’re not creating high value jobs, asks Chris Kay

BioLab fined for fire and chemical plume at US plant

‘Improperly stored’ pool chemicals reacted with water to release chlorine

Government reduces UK Reach fees by ‘£40 million’

Registration fees for most chemicals reduced, but uncertainty remains over safety data requirements

Trump’s tariff stand-off

Piling cost and complexity to stretched global supply chains will hit industries hard

Trump’s new tariffs threaten the chemicals sector

Broad and high tariffs could mean severe job losses and supply chain disruption for chemistry-using industries

Mergers and acquisitions

M&A

Merck KGaA to buy cancer specialist SpringWorks

$3.9 billion deal boosts Merck’s pipeline as it faces patent expiries

Dow to cut 1500 jobs as global chemicals industry reshapes

US firm joins other industry heavyweights in shedding jobs to cut costs

J&J’s Intra-Cellular deal could signal more mega-mergers for 2025

£15 billion deal for neuroscience biotech aims to replace revenues from patent expiries