Chemistry business news and analysis

Vaccine approvals offer hope as global Covid cases surge

2021-01-14T16:35:00+00:00By Anthony King, additional reporting by Bojan Stojkovski

A handful of vaccines are now approved and the first doses are being given to patients, with trials for many more candidates nearing completion

Industry expects problems ahead after initial relief over Brexit deal

2021-01-14T15:32:00+00:00By Vanessa Zainzinger

Uncertainty still looms over regulation and logistics

Chaos on Capitol Hill prompts changes in pharma and biotech

2021-01-14T10:21:00+00:00By Rebecca Trager

Dow won’t donate to lawmakers who refused to certify presidential votes, others like 3M, Amgen, BIO and PhRMA pause political giving to reassess

Chemicals industry roundup 2020

2020-12-23T13:58:00+00:00

Pandemic provides impetus to re-tune supply chains for resilience and sustainability

Pharmaceuticals roundup 2020

2020-12-23T08:41:00+00:00

Alongside the race for Covid-19 treatments and vaccines, the industry has maintained momentum

Cybercriminals target Covid-19 vaccines
2020-12-17T14:13:00+00:00By Rebecca Trager
Officials in the UK and US warn of threat from cyber-attacks that steal data related to Covid-19 vaccines and aim to disrupt the supply chain
AstraZeneca to buy rare disease drugmaker Alexion in $39bn deal
2020-12-15T12:25:00+00:00By Sarah Houlton
Transaction would be the largest in AstraZeneca’s history
Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine gains emergency approvals in US, Canada and beyond
2020-12-14T10:24:00+00:00By Anthony King
UK begins vaccinating vulnerable populations after early authorisation

Fatal explosion at US chemical plant

By Rebecca Trager

Blast at Optima facility killed one and injured three others

Oxford Biotrans makes its grapefruit compound out of oranges

By Patrick Hughes

Using their patented enzymes, Oxford Biotrans’ mission is to create new routes to useful chemicals – starting with their natural-grade food and fragrance products

4 dead in UK sewage treatment works explosion

By Phillip Broadwith

One person injured as biosolids silo explodes at Avonmouth

UK grants Pfizer–BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine emergency approval

Regulators around the world working towards accelerated decisions on vaccine data

Brexit may put some chemicals out of GB’s Reach

2020-12-02T09:25:00+00:00By Vanessa Zainzinger

Industry fears divergence of UK and EU regulations could spell disaster for trade

Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine joins others with promising interim data

By Anthony King

Cheap and fridge-stable candidate at least 60% and up to 90% effective at preventing disease

Taking plastic out of performance paper coatings

By Rachel Brazil

SGMA’s silicate sol-gel is a sustainable alternative for packaging such as coffee cups

Regulatory panel unconvinced by Alzheimer’s antibody evidence

By Anthony King

US FDA advisors vote against approving Biogen’s aducanumab on the basis of incomplete data analysis

Moderna and Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccines add more encouraging data

By Anthony King

Pfizer–BioNTech reach safety threshold for emergency authorisation, while Moderna’s data peek suggests 95% efficacy

Early indications suggest Pfizer–BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine is effective

By Anthony King

Company claims 90% efficacy at preventing disease, but experts call for data rather than press releases

Innovation is a fragile transition state

By Phillip Broadwith

Brexit and Covid-19 will likely stifle interactions, but could also stimulate new ones

Stepping towards diversity in industry

By Rebecca Trager

Companies are re-affirming their commitment to inclusivity, even as the US government obstructs education efforts

Stretching liquid crystals to the limit with LC AuxeTec

By Patrick Hughes

The unintuitive properties of LC AuxeTec’s materials mean they thicken when stretched, and could be exploited in body armour and skyscraper windows

EU commits to overhaul of chemicals legislation

By Vanessa Zainzinger

The Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability promises the biggest reform since Reach

Covid-19 highlights need to update pharma supply chains
By Sarah Houlton
Resilience and redundancy are key amid protectionist calls for domestic manufacturing
Arkema acquitted over hurricane fire emissions
By Rebecca Trager
US Judge rules there is insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges relating to peroxide fire caused by flooding in 2017
Covid-19 vaccine deals risk skewing supply
By Angeli Mehta
International accords including Covax aiming to ensure equitable distribution to poorer countries