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Cambrex Opens New Stability Storage Facility Today, Cambrex announced its stability storage business, Q1 Scientific, and opened a new cGMP facility in Durham, North Carolina, expanding its capacity for environmentally controlled stability storage services to North America's #pharmaceutical, medical device, and life sciences industries. Strategically located in the Research Triangle Park (RTP) region, the new state-of-the-art temperature-controlled and monitored storage facility provides 7 ICH stability chambers, covering a range of conditions from 40°C to ultra-low (-70°C/-80°C) storage conditions. The RTP facility will provide same-day and next-day delivery across the United States. Thomas Loewald, Cambrex CEO, stated, “After acquiring Q1 Scientific in 2022, we have strategically expanded our footprint to best serve our clients worldwide. This first North American facility opening marks an important milestone in the growth of #Q1Scientific.” Read more on #CMI online: https://lnkd.in/euVaCSfU

Our next #CMI newsletter is out now! Key topics: Biotech innovation in Europe, company news about Air Products, Eli Lilly and Company, Evonik, Heubach , Honeywell, Lonza, Merck & Co., Piramal Pharma Ltd, Rio Tinto, and more Whether Cambridge, Leiden, Heidelberg or Paris — many European countries have #biotechnology clusters in which scientific expertise meets a well-developed infrastructure, committed entrepreneurship and attractive financing opportunities. The drugs of tomorrow often emerge from such knowledge conglomerates. But what characterizes the outstanding biotech hubs on the European continent? A recently published study investigates this question. In collaboration with the DEEP - Institute for Deep Tech Innovation (DEEP) and the Berlin educational institution ESMT Berlin, consultancy firm BCG has developed a so-called #Biotech Innovation Hub Index (BIHI) to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of biotech innovation hubs. A key finding of the study on such clusters in Europe and the USA is that while European centers are outstanding in terms of the quality of academic research, they otherwise lag behind those in the USA. Read more on our newsletter: https://lnkd.in/eSJvSXQe Ralf Kempf

Lundbeck to Acquire Longboard Pharmaceuticals: Strategic Deal Significantly Enhances the Company’s Neuroscience Pipeline Danish drugmaker Lundbeck has announced to acquire US company Longboard Pharmaceuticals in a deal valued at approximately $2.6 billion. Longboard, headquartered in La Jolla, #California, is a clinical-stage #biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel medicines for neurological diseases. Under the terms of the agreement, Lundbeck will make a tender offer for all outstanding shares of Longboard common stock, offering to pay Longboard shareholders $60.00 per share in cash. The board of directors of both companies have unanimously approved the transaction, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2024. Read more on #CMI online: https://lnkd.in/ebcJeabD

Solvay Completes Major GHG Emissions-Reduction Project in the US Solvay has inaugurated its regenerative thermal oxidation (RTO) process at its US plant at Green River, Wyoming. The innovative emissions control technology, which #Solvay claims is the first of its kind in the trona mining industry, is expected to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the plant by up to 20% annually and achieve a 4% reduction in emissions at group level by 2025. “This #inauguration reflects our determination and passion for process innovation in the service of sustainability,” said Solvay CEO Philippe Kehren. “This system strengthens Green River’s position as a US benchmark for sustainable soda ash production and marks a key step in reducing our global carbon footprint.” The implementation of the new process is part of the company’s broader sustainable growth strategy at the Green River site to meet growing demand for soda ash, while minimizing its #carbonfootprint. Read more on #CMI online: https://lnkd.in/dN_4_mGQ

Mestag Signs License and Research Deal with Merck & Co. Mestag Therapeutics, a Cambridge, UK-headquartered #biotech company working on new insights into #fibroblast-immune interactions, has signed a license and collaboration agreement with US drugmaker Merck & Co., known as MSD outside of North America, to identify novel targets for the development of #therapies against #inflammatory diseases. Mestag will employ its reversing activated fibroblast technology (RAFT) platform, a proprietary platform built to model the pathogenic role of fibroblasts in human disease, to identify novel drug targets. Merck & Co. has the option to license one or more targets, up to a prespecified number, and will be responsible for the discovery, development and commercialization of resulting therapeutics, Mestag said. “Mestag was founded on groundbreaking insights into fibroblast-immune biology, and as an early innovator in this area of research, we have built a robust pipeline of #antibody programs and created a unique and productive target discovery platform,” said Susan Hill, CEO of Mestag. Read more on #CMI online:

Sudarshan Chemical Agrees to Acquire Heubach Group Sudarshan Chemical Industries Ltd. (SCIL) recently announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with the #Germany-based Heubach Group, on its acquisition in a combination of an asset and share deal. Sudarshan aims to expand its global presence and pigment portfolio across 19 sites to provide customers with a top-tier product range. This strategic acquisition will create a global pigment company, combining Sudarshan Chemical's operations and expertise with Heubach's technological capabilities. Post-#acquisition, the combined company will have a broad pigment portfolio of high-quality products and a strong presence in major markets including Europe and the Americas. The Heubach Group has a 200-year history and became the second largest #pigment player in the world after its integration with Clariant in 2022. Heubach had over €1 billion in revenue in FY21 and FY22, with a global footprint especially in Europe, Americas, and the APAC region. The Group faced financial challenges over the past two years due to rising costs, inventory issues, and high interest rates. Sudarshan Chemical’s acquisition of Heubach will address these challenges with a clear turnaround plan. Read more on #CMI online: https://lnkd.in/epePa4V7

Evonik Reorganises #Healthcare and #Coatings Businesses Evonik is reorganising two business lines to strengthen its growth prospects. The Coating & Adhesive Resins and Health Care Business Lines will concentrate on their respective core businesses to focus investments on them in future. The businesses outside these core areas will either be sold to new owners or integrated into partnerships. In some cases, businesses will be closed down responsibly. Altogether, the businesses affected by these changes generate €350 million in sales. “Our industry is undergoing fundamental structural change worldwide,” said Christian Kullmann, chairman of the executive board of #Evonik. “We will align all our resources with our strongest businesses. Only then can we seize growth opportunities in these markets at the necessary speed. Conversely, this also means that for businesses where we cannot offer appropriate prospects at Evonik, we will implement solutions outside Evonik. The #realignment of the two business lines exemplifies our approach. By concentrating on our strengths, we can unlock the growth potential that lies within our company.” Read more on #CMI online: https://lnkd.in/e6GuNMSk

Honeywell Plans to Spin Off Its Advanced Materials Business In a move to progress its strategic priorities of accelerating organic growth, Honeywell announced that it plans to spin off its Advanced Materials business into an independent, US publicly traded company. The spin-off, which is expected to be tax-free to its shareholders, is likely to be completed by the end of next year or early 2026, subject to certain customary conditions. As a leading global provider of sustainability-focused specialty chemicals and materials, the pure-play business will be well-positioned to benefit from an enhanced strategic focus and the financial flexibility to pursue innovation and growth opportunities through investment cycles, Honeywell said. Vimal Kapur, CEO of Honeywell, commented: "Given the sustained market demand for advanced specialty chemicals and materials around the globe, we are confident now is the right time for this business to grow independently, leveraging its leading technologies and deep customer relationships. As a sector leader, this new company will have a greater strategic focus on innovation, enabling it to develop new, more sustainable solutions and products with next-generation chemistry to create further value for shareowners.” Read more on #CMI online: https://lnkd.in/e4TeWynF

Specialty #Pharma CDMO OneSource Recently Launched: #CDMO Anticipates Sales of $400M by 2028 OneSource Specialty Pharma, a newly incorporated CDMO, formed from the merger of three CDMO businesses within the Strides Group. The company has a 30-year track record and specializes in #biologics, drug-device combinations, and soft gelatin capsules. OneSource is strategically positioned – with the remarkable growth of GLP-1s and the Biosecure Act – to address the increasing demand for drug-device combinations and biologics drug substances and products. It comes from the merger of Stelis' Biologics CDMO, Steriscience's Complex Injectables, and Strides' Soft Gelatin businesses. The newly combined CDMO has five world-class facilities approved by major regulatory agencies, including the US FDA, EU, and TGA. OneSource can produce more than 100 million injectable doses including cartridges and pre-filled-syringes and 2.4 billion soft gelatin capsules. Its flagship site in Bangalore is one of the few globally capable of manufacturing both biologics drug substances and drug products on the same premises. Read more on #CMI online:

It's done! As of today, we are pleased to welcome 40,000 followers on our #LinkedIn channels CHEManager (24190) and #CHEManager International (15810). We are happy about this great milestone and would like to thank everyone who has remained loyal to us and found out about news from the chemical and pharmaceutical industry on our channels. Feel free to recommend us to others 😉. Michael Reubold Ralf Kempf Thorsten Kritzer Christene Smith, PhD