Chemical industry – Page 109
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Business
Business roundup: May 2007
US chemical plant security legislation The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released its final list of federal security regulations governing US chemical plants. The 2001 terrorist attacks in New York brought security measures under scrutiny, but with America on high alert many felt that chemical ...
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Opinion
Reasons to be cheerful
After months of bleak news about faltering pipelines and redundancies, it's time to find reasons to be cheerful about the drug industry, says Derek Lowe.
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Opinion
Justifying total synthesis
Derek Lowe wonders whether total synthesis is still worth the effort
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Business
Business roundup: April 2007
Pharma’s house of cards Anglo-Swedish drug company AstraZeneca has announced plans to cut roughly 700 jobs at its site in Macclesfield, UK. A further 850 staff will go at Swedish production facilities. The news marks the first step in the implementation of the company’s plans to cut 3000 jobs from ...
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Opinion
Mergers: a cost-benefit analysis
Do the benefits of pharmaceutical company mergers really outweigh the costs, asks Derek Lowe
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Business
Business roundup: March 2007
Novartis contests India’s patent law Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis is suing the Indian government for contravening international patent agreements. The company accuses the Indian government of failing to comply with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules after it refused to grant the company a patent on its cancer drug ...
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Business
Business roundup: February 2007
New chief to lead safety drive Will the arrival of Lord Browne’s replacement mean an end to BP’s troubles? This month marked the climax of a tough period for the UK oil giant. An independent panel, led by former US Secretary of State James Baker, published the findings ...
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Opinion
Science's secret recipe
Derek Lowe wonders whether the secret recipe for scientific breakthroughs can be taught – and how much indigestion that recipe would cause in the boardroom
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Opinion
Learning from pharma failures
Derek Lowe looks at the recent failure of Pfizer's cholesterol drug, torcetrapib, and asks what it means for the future of pharmaceutical research
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Business
Business roundup: January 2007
BASF juggles hot potatoes German chemicals giant BASF has been courting controversy with two types of genetically modified potato. The Department for environment, food and rural affairs (Defra) has granted permission for the company to grow its GM blight-resistant potatoes at field sites in the UK, while the European Commission ...
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Opinion
Global pharma investment
Derek Lowe looks at the story behind the growing investment by western companies in medicinal chemistry research in China
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Business
Business roundup: December 2006
The drugs don’t work Third quarter results from the pharmaceutical industry were marred by simultaneous admissions that promising new treatments had been withdrawn and delayed. British giants GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and AstraZeneca, which both reported a boost in third quarter sales, have been forced to abandon new treatments ...
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Opinion
Time to let go
Derek Lowe wonders how to kill off bad drug candidates before companies invest valuable time and money in them
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Business
Business roundup: November 2006
Chemical security criticised Explosions at a chemical plant near the town of Apex, North Carolina, US, forced more than 17 000 people to evacuate their homes, in early October sparking further criticism that the government has not seriously addressed the issue of chemical plant security. The incident came ...
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Business
Business roundup: October 2006
Ivory Coast’s toxic disaster Source: © REUTERS Waste material Waste material - known as slops - unloaded by a ship in the Ivory Coast city port of Abidjan has led to the deaths of seven people, widespread sickness, and dismissal of the entire government. Ships ...
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Business
Business roundup: September 2006
Alaskan oilfield in hot water Crude oil prices suffered a roller coaster ride in August alongside a drama unfolding at BP’s Alaskan oilfield, the largest in North America. Attention has focused on the oil company since March, when up to 270,000 gallons of crude leaked from its transit line in ...
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Business
Business roundup: August 2006
BASF makes record spend German chemical giant BASF rounded off its second quarter with an unprecedented spending spree. In just over four weeks, the company has made three major acquisitions, at a total cost of over £5 billion. At the beginning of June, BASF bought the pigment and catalyst ...
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Business
Business roundup: June 2006
Leading lab suppliers merge Analytical instrument firm Thermo Electron and chemical manufacturer Fisher Scientific have agreed a merger deal, aiming to become ’the leading provider of laboratory products and services in the high-growth life, laboratory and health sciences industry’. Thermo, the smaller of the two US companies, will acquire ...
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Business
Business roundup: May 2006
Budget brings UK science to the fore Science and technology in the UK was prioritised in the country’s annual budget announcement, which also suggests that the way science is funded though the research assessment exercise (RAE) is about to be scrapped. The chancellor said an extra £1 ...
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Business
Business roundup: April 2006
Chemicals firms plead guilty to price-fixing conspiracy A total of more than $72 million (?41 million) in fines faces Belgian chemicals company Solvay, and Dutch company Akzo Nobel Chemicals International, following the admission that they participated in international price-fixing cartels in the chemicals industry, the US department of industry has ...