December 24, 2007

Year In Review

Amid strong sales and earnings, the industry focused on energy and the environment in 2007.

India In A Rush

Crowds at CPhI India underscore the rapid evolution of the drug manufacturing industry.

Business Concentrates

December 17, 2007

Patent Anxiety

GlaxoSmithKline's move against changes at the Patent Office highlights a perceived threat to drug research.

Cristal Clear

Titanium dioxide's new number two player gives its view of the market.

Business Concentrates

December 10, 2007

Keeping Water Pure

Favored for security reasons, bleach is a rising star in the water treatment market.

A New Wave Of Detectives

Agile instrument firms harness telecommunications technology to make small scientific analyzers.

Business Concentrates

December 3, 2007

Chemical Tango

Petrochemical meeting in Argentina puts alternative feedstocks on the agenda.

Personalized Medicine Pow-wow

Pioneers in genetics-based therapies discuss the evidence for industry's evolution.

Insights: Looking Back

C&EN's resident curmudgeon recalls the fun of mergers and acquisitions.

Cover Story: Pharma Adapts

Firms invent new strategies to deflect generic competition and stem growing safety concerns.

Drug Companies Cut Costs

In the midst of rapidly changing global markets, firms aggressively reduce spending to protect profitability.

Empowering FDA

A new law gives more powers to the regulatory agency and will impact the drug industry for years.

Business Concentrates

November 26, 2007

Put A Tree In Your Tank

Thermochemical processes are making headway as a route to cellulosic ethanol and other biofuels.

A Massive Canvas

Artist uses Tyvek to create banner that encircles historic building.

Business Concentrates

November 19, 2007

First The Kingdom, Then The World

With its purchase of GE Plastics, SABIC is on the offensive globally and technologically.

More Growth For Chemical Earnings

With increased prices and steady demand, companies overcome economic turmoil.

Pharma's Tough Balancing Act

Weaker third-quarter earning at the major drug companies reflect drug withdrawals and generic competition.

Biotech Challenges

Earnings drop in third quarter at both Amgen and Biogen but increase 22% at Genentech.

Business Concentrates

November 12, 2007

Carbon Nanotubes By The Metric Ton

Anticipating new commercial applications, producers increase capacity.

New Horizons

Former Bayer chemists find a haven within the walls of biotech companies.

Business Concentrates

November 5, 2007

Medical Polymers Renaissance

Despite potential liabilities, new suppliers of medical device polymers enter the market.

Cover Story: Job Market Dynamics

More recruiters on campus are a sign that 2008 will be a good year for new chemistry graduates

Job Market Gathers Strength

Company growth plus retirements are fueling increased hiring, especially for chemical engineers

Cultural Chameleons

For foreign-born job seekers, cultural awareness is the first step toward a successful career

From Bench To Management

Knowing what might lie ahead can ease the transition from the lab to the corporate ladder

Making The Industry-To-Academia Shift

Successful candidates tout their distinctive skill sets

Chairs Of Academic Search Committees Weigh In On Industrial Scientists' Prospects

When recruiting to fill academic positions, industrial scientists are not only considered, they are frequently hired

C&EN Talks With: Christopher Lipinski

Originator of 'The Rule of Five' reflects on 10 years of drug development under its influence.

Business Concentrates

October 29, 2007

ChIna's Cancer Villages

Their water contaminated by industry, farmers in dozens of villages in China die prematurely.

In The Pink

Seemingly lucrative fish-coloring business proves hard for newcomers to crack.

Business Concentrates

October 22, 2007

In Hot Pursuit

Dow's R&D leadership directs a global army pursuing lower raw material and energy costs.

Web Exclusive

A rational approach to energy.

Optimism Prevails For Fine Chemicals

Increased product outsourcing and busier plants make custom manufacturers feel more prosperous at CPhI.

Lilly Works The World

Major U.S. drug firm seeks alliances with talented partners.

Business Concentrates

October 15, 2007

Chemical Stocks Outperform Again

Index of 25 chemical companies continues to beat other industry sectors.

Optimism In Europe

Despite challenges, studies predict the European chemical industry will remain a global leader.

Business Concentrates

October 8, 2007

Liquid Gold Mine

Scientists in Norway are plumbing the seas for the next blockbuster medicine.

DuPont Finds Itself

Company says it has completed a transformation from chemical maker to science firm.

Why Helium Is In Short Supply

Maintenance disruptions, new project delays mean shortages for at least two more years.

Arkema Looks Ahead

At first investors' day, 'young' French company charts road map through 2010.

Business Concentrates

October 1, 2007

Cover Story: The Big Picture

A new study finds that U.K. citizens may be exposed to more BDE-209 via dust than North Americans.

The Semantic Web

Pharma Researchers Adopt An Orphan Internet Standard.

Target Practice

Software and database vendors aim to supply researchers with tools to extract quality from quantity.

Electronic Lab Notebooks

A Collaborative Tool Settles Into Drug Research.

An Agchem Rebound

Sales in developing countries soar amid concerns about the food-biofuels balance.

C&EN Talks With Ma Jun

Tireless environmental activist seeks to nurture China's environmental conscience.

Business Concentrates

September 24, 2007

Higher Technology

The rebounding custom pharmaceutical chemical business pushes the high-tech envelope.

Oxford's Knack For Spinning Gold

Offshoots from university's chemistry department make their mark in the world of commerce.

Betting On Industrial Gases

Linde's acquisition of BOC bolsters other companies; outlook is positive.

An Aids Drug Feud

Indian generic pharmaceutical manufacturer CIPLA is under attack for its prices in India.

Evonik Debuts

RAG's corporate identity change means the demise of the Degussa name.

Business Concentrates

• Dutch Government Invests In Biomedical Materials — The Dutch government has committed $63 million to support the BioMedical Materials program. Read more

• Evonik Enters New Silicon Agreement — Evonik Industries' chemical division, formerly Degussa, is joining with Dutch company The Silicon Mine (TSM) to build a solar silicon facility at DSM's chemical complex in Sittard-Geleen, the Netherlands. Read more

• Sigma-Aldrich Plans A Facility In China — Sigma-Aldrich will spend $25 million to acquire land and build the first phase of a new manufacturing facility in Wuxi, an industrial city west of Shanghai. Read more

• DuPont slates Big Kevlar Investment — DuPont plans to spend more than $500 million to increase worldwide production capacity for its Kevlar p-aramid fiber.
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• Clariant Targets Nanotech Textiles — Clariant has formed a pact with Schoeller Technologies to develop Schoeller's nanotechnology-based NanoSphere textile finish. Read more

• Enzymes Companies Pursue Bioethanol — Genencor and Novozymes, the world's two leading enzymes producers, have formed separate collaborations to advance technology for making ethanol from biomass. Read more

• Chemical Output Continues Upward — Total U.S. chemical production continued to rise in August, although it was still down slightly from its year-earlier level, according to seasonally adjusted data from the Federal Reserve Board. Read more

• Novasep Snaps Up Fine Chemicals Firm — The French fine chemicals and separations equipment firm Novasep has agreed to acquire Bahamas-based PharmaChem Technologies for an undisclosed sum. Read more

• Xerox Opens Novel Toner Facility — Xerox has opened its first U.S. plant for emulsion aggregation toners. Read more

• Two Firms Partner For Clean Coal — Praxair and Foster Wheeler have formed an alliance to demonstrate clean coal technologies for electricity-generating plants. Read more

• Rhode Island Moves On Lead Cleanup — Rhode Island officials are seeking court approval of a plan that would require three former manufacturers of lead-based paint that lost a lawsuit last year to pay an estimated $2.4 billion to fund the cleanup of hundreds of thousands of contaminated homes throughout the state. Read more

• Evotec To Acquire Drug Firm Renovis — The German drug discovery firm Evotec has agreed to acquire Renovis, a South San Francisco biotech company focused on pain and inflammatory disease drugs. Read more

• GSK Wins U.S. Antibiotic Contract — GlaxoSmithKline has scored a Department of Defense contract worth up to $41 million over five years to develop a new class of antibiotics. Read more

• Forest Licenses A Microbia Drug — Forest Laboratories will pay up to $330 million for access to linaclotide, a first-in-class compound being developed by Microbia for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. Read more

• Business Roundup — Praxair plans to build a specialty gases facility in China's Nanjing Science Park that will produce calibration gases and ultra-high-purity gases for the electronics industry. Also news on Lanxess, Air Products & Chemicals, Innophos Holdings, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and Merck & Co., and Dow Chemical. Read more

September 17, 2007

Big-Time Painting

The market demands paints and resins that durably protect the infrastructure yet are easy to use.

Foiling Corrosion Involves Outsmarting Metals' Nature

As soon as we are old enough to leave a bicycle out in the rain, we become familiar with the process of rusting.

Private equity targets China

Despite China's poor record of innovation, investors are excited about its potential for research breakthroughs.

C&EN Talks With Anne Noonan

The head of Chemtura's new polymer additives business embraces change-and makes a few changes of her own.

Business Concentrates

• Aptuit Will Acquire Evotec Development Arm — Continuing its buildup of a pharmaceutical development services business, Aptuit has agreed to acquire Evotec's chemical and pharmaceutical development operations for $64 million. Read more

• DuPont Urges Faster Phaseout Of HCFCs — DuPont is urging nations to speed up the phaseout of hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) refrigerants both to protect Earth's upper atmosphere and to reduce emission of global-warming gases. Read more

• Borealis Forms Research Firm — Polyolefins maker Borealis has formed Norner Innovation, a research consultancy operating out of Borealis' former R&D center in Bamble, Norway. Read more

• Konarka Signs Solar Power Deal — Konarka Technologies and Japan's Toppan Forms have signed an agreement to develop Konarka's polymer-based solar power cells for consumer and electronic applications.
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• Dow Pushes Into Epoxy Systems — Dow Chemical has signed agreements to acquire three companies that formulate epoxy systems. Read more

• Shin-Etsu Expands Methylcellulose — Shin-Etsu Chemical will spend $260 million to build additional capacity for pharmaceutical-grade methylcellulose in Wiesbaden, Germany, and Joetsu City, Japan. Read more

• Evonik Is New Name For RAG, Degussa — RAG, the German conglomerate that acquired the specialty chemicals maker Degussa last year, has rebranded itself as Evonik Industries in advance of a stock offering expected during the first half of 2008. Read more

• DSM Rearranges Assets In Shanghai — DSM will close its Gonglu location in Shanghai and instead expand manufacturing in Xinghuo, another part of Shanghai. About 200 people are employed in Gonglu. Read more

• Bayer May Build European MDI Plant — Bayer MaterialScience is mulling a 400,000-metric-ton-per-year plant to make the polyurethane component methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) somewhere in Europe by 2012. Read more

• Employment Jumps In August — U.S. chemical industry employment rose in August, according to seasonally adjusted data from the Labor Department, spurred by an increase in production workers. Read more

• Pfizer To Cease output In Sandwich — Pfizer will end all active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing at its site in Sandwich, England. The decision, which will result in the loss of about 420 jobs over the next two years, follows the 2005 announcement of a manufacturing scale-back at the site that affected some 400 jobs. Read more

• Sigma-Aldrich Boosts Pharma Chemicals — Sigma-Alrich's SAFC fine chemicals business will spend $10 million to expand production capacity in Arklow, Ireland, and Buchs, Switzerland. Read more

• Drugmakers Form Delivery Alliances — Wyeth has entered a development and license agreement with Flamel Technologies to apply Flamel's Medusa drug delivery technology to a currently marketed protein drug. Read more

• Boehringer, Ablynx Sign Antibody Pact — Boehringer Ingelheim and the biopharmaceutical company Ablynx will collaborate on the discovery and development of as many as 10 therapeutics based on Ablynx's Nanobody technology. Read more

• Business Roundup — Arkema has started up a $45 million hydrofluorocarbon-32 plant in Calvert City, Ky. Also news on Ineos-Nova, Dow Chemical, Rhodia, Sasol, Arch Chemicals, Nabi Biopharmaceuticals, and Albany Molecular Research. Read more

September 10, 2007

Research With A Commercial Edge

RTI International takes a business approach to solving societal and science problems.

China Reforms Drug Oversight

Changes are aimed at improving safety of pharmaceuticals and encouraging innovation.

C&EN Talks With Herbert Boyer

Modest innovator laid the groundwork for the biotechnology industry.

Business Concentrates

• Companies Invest In Nanotubes — Metabolic Explorer and Institut Français du Pétrole, which specializes in alternative energy research, will collaborate on scaling up MetEx's biotech route for making 1,3-propanediol out of glycerin. Read more

• Partners Target Propanediol Output — Solvay and four venture capital firms have injected a total of $20.6 million into Plextronics. Read more

• Polymer Technology Boosts Biomaterials — Polymer Technology Group has tripled its R&D and manufacturing capacity in the Temescal Business Park in Berkeley, Calif. Read more

• Lubrizol To Acquire Refrigerant Lubes — Lubrizol has agreed to buy Croda's refrigeration lubricants business for $125 million.
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• Cognis Weighs Pulcra Options — Cognis has invited mergers-and-acquisitions specialist Lincoln International to conduct a review of the strategic options for its Pulcra Chemicals subsidiary. Read more

• OM Buys Borchers — OM Group will acquire Lanxess' Borchers unit, a coatings additive supplier based in Langenfeld, Germany. Read more

• Germany Will Launch Drug Discovery Hub — The German city of Hamburg is establishing European ScreeningPort, a drug discovery service hub designed to provide the missing link in Europe between academic research and the pharmaceutical industry. Read more

• Novozymes Launches Acrylamide Fighter — Danish enzymes producer Novozymes has launched an enzyme, dubbed Acrylaway. Read more

• Exxon Commits To Singapore Complex — ExxonMobil Chemical is going ahead with its second petrochemical complex in Singapore. Read more

• Lanxess Will Produce Ion Resins In India — Lanxess will spend $40 million to build an ion-exchange resins plant in northeast India. Read more

• Coca-Cola To Build PET Recycling Plant — Coca-Cola will spend more than $60 million on recycling efforts that include what it claims will be the world's largest polyethylene terephthalate bottle recycling plant. Read more

• Rohm And Haas Opens Facilities In Asia — Rohm and Haas has opened a $12 million acrylic emulsions facility at Chennai in southern India that will supply local producers of water-based paints and adhesives. Read more

• Chemical Shipments Are Mixed In July — The value of U.S. chemical shipments in July totaled $53.3 billion, up 0.7% from the previous month, but down 1.0% from the comparable month last year. Read more

• BUSINESS ROUNDUP — Rohm and Haas will take an after-tax restructuring charge of $15 million against third-quarter earnings. Also news on DuPont, DSM, Olin, Covance, Nicholas Piramal, Bayer, and Lectus Therapeutics. Read more

September 3, 2007

Efforts To Clean The Huai Fail Again

Running through poor regions of China, the river suffers as short-term economic concerns take precedence.

Insights: Seeing The Forest At Pfizer

A radical knowledge-sharing initiative takes hold at the world's largest drugmaker.

Business Concentrates

• FDA Proposes Sunscreen Rating System — FDA has proposed a long-awaited UV-A sunscreen effectiveness rating system and testing protocol. Read more

• Solvay Invests In Plextronics — Solvay and four venture capital firms have injected a total of $20.6 million into Plextronics. Read more

• Venture To Cut Maritime NOx — Fertilizer maker Yara International is forming a joint venture with fellow Norwegian firm Wilhelmsen Maritime Services. Read more

• BASF Expands Asian Auto Catalysts — BASF will expand capacity for automotive catalysts at its plants in India and China by early 2009.
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• Chinese Firm Plans Olefin — China's Datang International Power Generation plans to build an olefins plant in the Chinese province of Inner Mongolia that will use locally produced coal as raw material. Read more

• Nanotube Company Will Expand Plant — SouthWest Nanotechnologies has begun a $3.9 million expansion of its single-walled nanotube plant in Norman, Okla. Read more

• DSM Invest In Food Freshness Firm — A European syndicate led by DSM Venturing and Swiss-based Inventages Venture Capital has pumped $5.6 million into Food Quality Sensor International. Read more

• NPIL Mulls Drug Discovery Spin-Off — Mumbai-based Nicholas Piramal India Ltd. is considering whether to turn its drug discovery research unit into a separate entity. Read more

• June Trade Balance Turns To Black — The U.S. chemical trade balance in June rose to a surplus, despite month-to-month declines in both exports and imports. Read more

• Job Cuts Planned At Biotech Firms — Three biotechnology companies are cutting jobs as part of restructuring plans. Read more

• Novartis Expands Swiss Drug Capacity — Novartis is investing roughly $250 million to increase manufacturing capacity in Schweizerhalle, Switzerland, for its portfolio of blood pressure medications, including Diovan, Exforge, and Tekturna. Read more

• Gene Logic Signs Two New Partners — Gene Logic has snared two new customers for its drug repositioning program, which explores new applications for drug candidates that were safe but ineffective in clinical trials. Read more

• InnoCentive Gives Prize4Life Awards — InnoCentive, a website aimed at researchers who can offer solutions to scientific problems, has awarded five prizes in the first phase of the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Prize4Life Biomarker Challenge. Read more

• BUSINESS ROUNDUP — Sigma-Aldrich's SAFC fine chemicals business will invest $4.5 million in its Madison, Wis., plant. Also news on Hercules, Kemira, Bayer MaterialScience, Pfizer, Codexis, Aesica Pharmaceuticals, and Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Read more

August 20, 2007

Soy Rebounds

Soybeans are once again garnering attention as a renewable raw material for polymers.

Chemical Earnings Show Increase

Aggregate rise in earnings among 25 chemical firms was 11.3% in the second quarter, with 18 companies seeing higher results.

Pharma's Mixed bag

Setbacks for blockbuster drugs sideswipe several drug firms' second-quarter results.

Biotechs Rely On Old Products

Second-quarter financial results reflect aging portfolios at big biotech companies.

Business Concentrates

• Symyx Will Acquire MDL — Lab instrumentation and software developer Symyx Technologies will pay $123 million to purchase much of MDL Information Systems from Elsevier. Read more

• Rohm And Haas Boosts Display Materials — Rohm and Haas will spend $190 million to acquire a 51% stake in the display materials business of SKC. Read more

• Brazil Consolidates Petrochemicals — Brazilian national oil company Petrobras is in negotiations with local firm Unipar to merge their petrochemical holdings in southeastern Brazil. Read more

• Investors Back Cellulosic Ethanol — University of Massachusetts spin-off SunEthanol has attracted investments from ethanol maker VeraSun Energy and a number of venture capitalists.
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• GM, A123Systems Join For Batteries — General Motors and A123Systems have agreed to work together to develop A123's lithium-ion batteries for use in planned GM electric plug-in and fuel-cell vehicles. Read more

• Celanese Sells Pampa Facility — Babcock & Brown has purchased Celanese's Pampa, Texas, acetic acid and acetic anhydride production facility for an undisclosed sum. Read more

• New Lab For Cargill — Cargill has opened a 19,000-sq-ft lab in Plymouth, Minn., for its BiOH polyols. Read more

• Erco Plans Switch To Membrane Process — Erco Worldwide will convert its Port Edwards, Wis., chlor-alkali plant from mercury-based technology to membrane technology at a cost of $95 million. Read more

• Chemical Output Up And Down In July — Total U.S. chemical production rose in July from the previous month but fell from July 2006, while output of basic chemicals went in the opposite directions. Read more

• Sinopec And Partners Mull China Project — China Petroleum & Chemicals (Sinopec) and Kuwait Petroleum are considering a refinery and petrochemical complex in Nansha. Read more

• FoldRx Gets Funds From Fibrosis Group — Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics, an affiliate of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, will invest $22 million in FoldRx Pharmaceuticals. Read more

• Pfizer And Icagen Form Pain Pact — Icagen and Pfizer will collaborate to discover and develop compounds targeting three ion channels that are critical to the generation of electrical signals in nerve fibers that modulate pain. Read more

• Amgen Will Cut Jobs — Amgen, the world's largest biotechnology company, will reduce staffing by 12-14% in response to lower sales of Aranesp. Read more

• BUSINESS ROUNDUP — ICI is acquiring San Diego-based Advanced Applied Adhesives. Also news on Süd-Chemie, Ineos, Chemtura, Mitsubishi Rayon, Kemira, Degussa, Tate & Lyle, ImClone Systems, and Dow Chemical. Read more

August 13, 2007

Tool Time

Instrument makers harness technology to pursue budding applications for their tools.

New Regulatory Era In Europe Begins

European Chemicals Agency opens doors as companies prepare for new regulations.

Business Concentrates

• Petrobras To Buy Brazil's Suzano For $1.4 Billion — Brazilian state oil company Petrobras is making another big consolidation move in that country's petrochemical sector through the purchase of Suzano Petroquímica for $1.4 billion. Read more

• EU Launches Antitrust Probe — The European Commission, a branch of the European Union, has sent a "statement of objection" to several firms inquiring about alleged efforts to fix prices of sodium chlorate. Read more

• Bayer, Nektar Join For Inhaled Drug — Bayer HealthCare and Nektar Therapeutics will develop an inhalable version of the aminoglycoside antibiotic amikacin, using Nektar's drug delivery technology. Read more

• Lonza Adds Two For Biotech — Lonza has made two additions to its product capabilities to support biotech research.
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• More Propionic Acid For BASF — BASF is increasing its annual capacity for propionic acid at its sites in Ludwigshafen and Nanjing. Read more

• Concept Car Dons Bayer Polycarbonate — When the Lincoln MKR concept car was unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit earlier this year, it sported the auto industry's first light-emitting diode (LED) adaptive headlamps. Read more

• Monsanto And Novartis In Dispute — Monsanto has filed a $100 million arbitration claim against the Sandoz subsidiary of Novartis for failure to supply all contracted doses of recombinant bovine somatotropin between 2004 and 2006. Read more

• Employment Eases In July — Employment in the U.S. chemical industry decreased slightly in July, but was still ahead of year-earlier figures. Read more

• BASF And Partner Look Into Heat-Exchange Fluids — BASF and CogniTek Management Systems have signed an agreement to develop high-efficiency heat-exchange fluids by combining ionic liquids and supercritical carbon dioxide. Read more

• BP, Chinese Academy Form Partnership — BP and the Chinese Academy of Sciences have signed a memorandum of understanding to form the Clean Energy Commercialization Centre. Read more

• Distributor Buys Into Fertilizers — British distributor Chance & Hunt has signed an agreement to acquire the process chemicals business formed through a new U.K.-based fertilizers joint venture. Read more

• BUSINESS ROUNDUP — Dupont is establishing a plant in Baddi, India, to make disinfectants, cleaners, and sanitizers for animal health and hospital use. Also news on JohnsonDiversey, Celanese, The European Commission, Huntsman Corp., 3M, Merck, ExxonMobil Chemical, DuPont, and Chemtura. Read more

August 6, 2007

Cover Story: Centering On Chirality

Chemists are finding asymmetric synthesis increasingly handy for making pharmaceutical compounds at large scale.

Cleaning Up In Electronics

Chemical companies work to upgrade cleaners for next-generation computer chips.

Getting Past Bhopal

Documents show that Dow Chemical has been pressing India to disassociate the firm from the 1984 tragedy.

'Top 50' Correction

BASF was tops in 2006, edging out Dow Chemical.

Nix Quarterly Guidance

Business think tank says earnings projections put too much emphasis on short term.

Business Concentrates

• BASF Joins Firms Leaving New York Stock Exchange — BASF has joined a growing list of foreign companies that have decided to voluntarily file for delisting of their American Depositary Shares (ADS) from the New York Stock Exchange. Read more

• Sumitomo Pledges to Buy Display Firm CDT — Sumitomo Chemical plans to acquire Cambridge Display Technology, a Cambridge, England-based developer of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Read more

• Sun Will Shutter Staten Island Plant — Sun Chemical is closing a pigments facility in Staten Island, N.Y., that employs 94 workers. Read more

• Ashland Invests in Two China Projects — Ashland will invest nearly $80 million in Chinese expansion projects. In northern China, the company is planning a $35 million unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) facility.
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• Nalco and Keystone Form Nanotech Pact — Nalco, a water treatment specialist, and the start-up company Keystone Nano have formed NanoSpecialties, a joint venture that will create nano-featured products for industrial markets. Read more

• Ticona Picks New Home in Germany — Celanese's engineering polymers arm, Ticona, will relocate its Kelsterbach, Germany, operations to nearby Frankfurt-Hoechst Industrial Park by mid-2011. Read more

• Basell to Buy Shell Refinery in France — Basell has agreed to purchase Royal Dutch Shell's refinery at the Berre-l'Etang petrochemical complex near Marseille, France. Read more

• Chemical Makers Close U.K. Sites — Two firms are closing plants in England to reduce operating costs. Read more

• SF-Chem and CABB Combine in Europe — German specialty chemical maker CABB has acquired Swiss rival SF-Chem for an undisclosed sum. Read more

• Grace Opens Lab in Poland — W.R. Grace has opened an innovation center in Poznań, Poland. Read more

• GSK Inks Pain Pact... — GlaxoSmithKline and Targacept have entered a development pact centered around small-molecule drugs targeting neuronal nicotinic receptors (NNRs). Read more

• ... and Gets FDA Backing for Avandia — By a vote of 22-1, an FDA advisory panel voted last week to keep GlaxoSmithKline's diabetes treatment Avandia on the U.S. market. Read more

• Dow and Partners Advance Thai Plans