Business news – Page 103
-
Business
Business roundup: March 2010
Air Products makes hostile bid for Airgas Air Products has launched a $7 billion (£4.47 billion) hostile takeover bid for rival gas supplier Airgas to gain access to the US bottled gas market. If shareholders take up the $60 a share bid, the combined company would become the largest industrial ...
-
Opinion
Papers vs patents
Derek Lowe wonders whether peer-reviewed papers or patents are more reliable
-
Business
Business roundup: February 2010
Haiti’s helpers The horrendous magnitude 7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti has prompted many companies to provide what assistance they can. The earthquake has destroyed roads and buildings and claimed thousands of lives - the Red Cross has estimated that at least 50,000 people have lost their lives to the quake ...
-
Business
Business roundup: January 2010
Bayer to reduce cost of chlorine production German chemicals giant Bayer is commercialising a new way of making chlorine that it says uses 30 per cent less energy than current production methods. Better still, the company plans to make it possible to retrofit the technology to existing plants. Around ...
-
Opinion
The sincerest form of flattery
Is the pharmaceutical industry churning out copycat versions of existing therapies? Derek Lowe dispels a few myths about 'me-too' drugs
-
Business
Business roundup: December 2009
Bolivia to lead the electric revolution Bolivia’s decision to develop commercial scale lithium mining by 2014 is good news for the emerging electric car industry and lithium battery producers, but exactly how one of the world’s poorest nations will accomplish this ambitious goal is still uncertain. Yaron Vorona, executive director ...
-
Opinion
Senseless screening
Derek Lowe advises opening your mind during the screening cascade taken by potential drug targets, and remaining goal orientated at all times
-
Business
Business roundup: November 2009
A new hope for HIV vaccines For the first time ever, a Phase III clinical trial of an HIV vaccine has seen some success. Initial results from the trial, dubbed RV144, showed that a combination of Sanofi-Pasteur’s Alvac and VaxGen’s AidsVAX B/E cut the risk of HIV infection by 31 ...
-
Opinion
Reliable reactions
Derek Lowe discusses the problem of leaning too heavily on favourite reactions
-
Business
Business roundup: October 2009
Bayer bows to safety concerns One year after an explosion that led to two fatalities, Bayer CropScience is to eliminate 80 per cent of the methyl isocyanate (MIC) stockpile at its Institute, West Virginia site. Bayer will also spend $25 million (£15 million) on further safety improvements at the site ...
-
Opinion
Difficult diseases to drug
Derek Lowe wonders why some diseases are easier to drug than others
-
Business
Business roundup: September 2009
Animal rights activism on the rise There has been an escalation in the wave of animal rights attacks aimed at the pharmaceutical industry - and they have been focused on Novartis ’ chief executive, Daniel Vasella. Source: © ASSOCIATED PRESS The charred remains of Vasella’s Tyrolean ...
-
Opinion
Beautiful chemistry
Derek Lowe considers what makes a good looking drug molecule - and how beauty is in the eye of the beholder
-
Business
Business roundup: August 2009
Huntsman saga draws to close Source: © ASSOCIATED PRESS Huntsman gains $2.73 billion after aborted takeover The fallout from Hexion’s aborted takeover of rival US chemical company Huntsman finally seems to be over, with the banks that were supposed to fund the deal agreeing to pay Huntsman ...
-
Opinion
Formulation chemist friction
Derek Lowe wonders where we'd be without the formulation chemists
-
Business
Business roundup: July 2009
Dow Corning unleashes innovation US silicone-materials maker Dow Corning is transforming its business strategy to focus on innovations in sustainability, efficiency and alternative energy. Even though the company has managed to stay profitable during the current economic downturn, which has seen many of its competitors struggle, Dow Corning has decided ...
-
Opinion
Collaborative compromise
Derek Lowe wonders about pharmaceutical companies' motives for collaboration
-
Business
Business roundup: June 2009
Animal testing amendments The European parliament has voted in favour of ’watering down’ its directive on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes - enabling researchers to continue conducting animal experiments to assess the safety of new drugs and chemicals. Last year, the European Commission proposed a range of ...