ECN-European Chemical News articles from June 2005

ECN-European Chemical News archives from June 2005

Europe is facing a 'moment of truth': the Lisbon agenda provides Europe with a commitment to innovation and research, but not everyone is happy with the investment required.
June 6, 2005... EUROPEAN LEADERS face a stark choice. Either they want a Europe that focuses on redistributing existing wealth or one that thrives on knowledge-based growth and creates sustainable prosperity for its people. For the first time, the EU's revised...

Industrial chemical sales fall in Brazil.(markets)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... DOMESTIC SALES volumes of industrial chemicals in Brazil fell 9.6% in April compared with March, reversing most of the growth achieved in March and continuing the decline witnessed over the last few months. National chemicals association...

Johnson Matthey says outlook is good for next few years.(operating profits)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... JOHNSON MATTHEY said operating profits rose 1% to 208.1m [pounds sterling] (300m [euro]/$380m) for the financial year ended 31 March, helped by a strong performance in colours and coatings. But the weak dollar meant they were down by 8m...

US merger for Formosa.(BUSINESS: Headlines)
June 6, 2005... TAIWAN'S FORMOSA Plastics Group (FPG) is planning to merge four of its US-based businesses in preparation for an initial public offering (IPO) sometime next year. The four units are Formosa Plastics USA, Formosa Plastics America, Nan Ya...

M&G says yes to PTA.(BUSINESS: Headlines)(Mossi & Ghisolfi)(purified terephthalic acid)
June 6, 2005... MOSSI & GHISOLFI (M&G) has approved plans to build a 750 000 tonne/year purified terephthalic acid (PTA) plant in Pernamambuco, Brazil. The PTA unit, which will employ the new generation Invista technology, will be situated on the same...

Lanxess: good start.(BUSINESS: Headlines)
June 6, 2005... GERMAN CHEMICALS and plastics producer Lanxess got off to a satisfactory start in the first quarter, as restructuring 'showed initial success', the Bayer spin-off said last week. At the same time, chairman Axel Heitmann warned that...

Apollo completes creation of Hexion.(News Watch)
June 6, 2005... Private investment firm Apollo Management completed the combination of Borden Chemical, Resolution Performance Products (RPP) and Resolution Specialty Materials (RSH) into newly-formed Hexion Specialty Chemicals last week. ...

Carbon black: EC calls off probe.(News Watch)
June 6, 2005... The European Commission has halted its investigation into price fixing amongst three large carbon black producers: Cabot, Columbian and Wacker, the three companies said in statements. simon.robinson@icis.com

Degussa boosts RAG'S sales.(News Watch)
June 6, 2005... German energy and chemicals group RAG increased its sales by more than 50% to 18.7bn [euro] in 2004, thanks to the acquisition of the 50.1% majority stake in speciality chemicals group Degussa, chairman Werher Holler said at the company's...

12 month's growth for EU chemicals prices.(News Watch)
June 6, 2005... Chemicals prices in the European Union (EU) rose 5.8% in April compared with the same period last year, according to figures from Eurostat, the official statistics agency. Month-on-month, chemicals prices in April this year were up 0.2% in both...

EC clears Novartis' buying Hexal.(News Watch)
June 6, 2005... The European Commission has cleared Novartis purchase of Hexal now that Novartis has committed to sell pharmaceutical products in Denmark (prescription anti-gout drugs), Germany (topical anti-rheumatics) and Poland (calcitonins for...

Four injured in small Sasol blaze.(News Watch)
June 6, 2005... A fire broke out at Sasol's main Sasolburg chemicals plant on last week, injuring four workers. There was no impact on production, the firm said. The fire was caused by a gas leak on one of the valves on the flare line. 'The fire was put out in...

Some compensation, at last.(News Watch)(legal settlement on chemical spills)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... Residents of Bogalusa, Louisiana, US, have begun to receive part of a $75m legal settlement nearly a decade after a chemical spill sent several people to hospital. Plaintiffs in a class action settlement are receiving 52% of the settlement...

20 years ago: 3 June 1985.(BUSINESS)
June 6, 2005... Two acquisitions, costing a total of $40-50m, have been announced by BP Chemicals in downstream speciality areas. In the first, BP North America has signed a letter of intent with Reichhold Chemicals to buy its polyolefin and vinyl materials...

Headache for drug-makers.(BUSINESS)
June 6, 2005... THE EUROPEAN Court of Justice has decided it has no jurisdiction to rule on a case arising from parallel trade in drugs, referred to it by Greece's competition authority. The case concerns supply of three drugs by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to...

Digital boom pushes Agfa Photo into insolvency.(BUSINESS)(Agfa Belgie N.V.)
June 6, 2005... INSOLVENCY PROCEEDINGS at Germany's Agfa Photo GmbH, sold by Belgium-based Agfa-Gevaert in a private equity-led MBO in late 2004, could threaten the jobs of 2400 employees at its Leverkusen headquarters and four other German production sites....

Repsol ceo's five-year strategy.(BUSINESS: Headlines)(Antonio Brufau's view on the forecasts of Repsol YPF S.A.)
June 6, 2005... SPANISH OIL and gas major Repsol YPF expects to see its chemical sales grow from 4.13m tonne in 2004 to more than 5.6m tonne in 2009 as a result of a planned capital expenditure of 1.2bn [euro] over the five-year period 2005-09. Capital...

Indian Oil fronts bidding for 50% stake in Tupras.(BUSINESS: Headlines)
June 6, 2005... INDIAN OIL has emerged as the front runner to take control of Turkey's Tupras refinery and petrochemicals company, now Russia's sixth largest oil producer Tatneft has abandoned its plans to acquire Tupras. Tatneft, which is owned by the...

Europabio.(BUSINESS: Headlines)
June 6, 2005... Hans Kast, president and ceo of BASF Plant Science, has been elected chairman of EuropaBio, the EU biotech trade association, succeeding DSM's Feike Sijbesma. Kast believes 'biotechnology is a key technology... a real opportunity to bring...

Dynea offers Welcome to Shaw Industries.(BUSINESS: Headlines)
June 6, 2005... FINNISH WOOD adhesives and resins producer Dynea has agreed to sell its Welcome, North Carolina, paper overlays facility to US flooring group Shaw Industries of Dalton, Georgia for an undisclosed cash sum. The transaction is expected to...

Cytec closes Cyro sale to JV partner Degussa.(BUSINESS: Global roundup)
June 6, 2005... Cytec Industries completed the sale of its 50% partnership in Cyro Industries to its joint venture partner Degussa Specialty Polymers last week for $95m in cash subject to closing adjustments. Cytec plans to use the money to repay debt after...

Engelhard closes Syngas cat deal.(BUSINESS: Global roundup)
June 6, 2005... Engelhard has acquired the syngas catalyst business from Nanjing Chemical Industry (NCIC), part of China's Sinopec for an undisclosed sum. New Jersey--based Engelhard said in a statement it was acquiring NCIC's syngas business operations,...

Former Yukos head gets nine years.(BUSINESS: Global roundup)
June 6, 2005... Mikhair Khodorkovsky, former head of beleaguered Russian oil company Yukos, was sentenced in Moscow last week to nine years after being found guilty on six of seven fraud and tax evasion charges. Former Yukos business associate Platon Lebedev...

Scaminace heads for OM group as new CEO.(BUSINESS: Global roundup)
June 6, 2005... US metals-based speciality chemicals producer OM Group (OMG) named top Sherwin-Williams executive Joseph Scaminace as OMG president and chief executive, last week. Scaminace, 52, succeeds 57-year-old James Mooney, who stepped down as OMG's...

Stolt buys food container business.(BUSINESS: Global roundup)
June 6, 2005... Stolt-Nielsen Transportation Group has bought Ermefer, a food-grade container business from Switzerland's Ermewa SA, a logistics company. No financial terms were disclosed. simon.robinson@icis.com

Sanitas buys Hoechst-Biotika. for 12.7m [euro].(BUSINESS: Global roundup)
June 6, 2005... Sanitas bought all of Hoechst-Biotika for (12.7m [euro] at the end of Hay. Hoechst-Biotika employs 315 people and has sales of 12.4m [euro] and 4.6m [euro] net profit. [GRAPHIC OMITTED] simon.robinson@icis.com

India's Pidilite looks West.(News Watch)
June 6, 2005... India's Pidilite Industries has set up two overseas subsidiaries to strengthen its operations in the adhesives, speciality chemicals and intermediates markets in Dubai and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Pidilite exports to more than 50 countries, and...

Sasol proposes eurobond debut in Europe.(News Watch)
June 6, 2005... Sasol has appointed bankers ABN Amro and Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein (DKW) to lead manage a debut euro-denominated eurobond. Sasol is listed on the Johannesburg and New York stock exchanges. It plans to issue the bond subject to market...

Dupont confirms elastomer name.(News Watch)
June 6, 2005... DuPont has confirmed DuPont Dow Elastomers that it will rename the 50:50 joint venture it is buying control of from Dow Chemical. The business will be known as DuPont Performance Elastomers effective 1 July (See ECN January). ...

FMC uses cheap revolver to blow away debt.(News Watch)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... FMC has negotiate an $850m five-year credit agreement to repay an old debt. FMC said the new unsecured credit agreement will include a $500m revolving credit facility and a $350m loan. These borrowings will repay the company's earlier $600m...

A taxing time ahead for China's companies.(News Watch)
June 6, 2005... China plans to implement a uniform income tax for all companies, domestic and foreign, from 2007, according to Jia Kang, president of the Institute of Fiscal Science. Foreign companies which invested in China before 2007 would be given a...

Sibur-Neftekhim pays debt from profit.(News Watch)
June 6, 2005... Shareholders in Russia's Sibur-Neftekhim have endorsed plans to use the petrochemical company's 2004 profits to repay its earlier debts, Sibur-Neftekhim said in a statement. In 2004, Sibur-Neftekhim profits totalled Rouble 515.7m (about...

First half olefins has been poor in Europe.(MARKETS: Report)
June 6, 2005... THE CONTINUING slump in spot ethylene prices is a clear indicator that activity in the European olefins industry has not been as good as expected, in this first half of the year. Spot prices stand at 500 [euro]/tonne, off the ARG pipeline. This...

London Metal Exchange starts PP and lldPE futures trading.(MARKETS: Report)
June 6, 2005... THE LONDON Metal Exchange (LME) began trading polypropylene (PP) and linear low density polyethylene (lldPE) futures on Friday 27 May. It is quietly confident about the success of the contracts, with brokers seeking modest success at the start...

US and EU reel as China scraps tariffs.(MARKETS: Report)
June 6, 2005... ATTEMPTS BY the US and European Union to limit the influx of Chinese textile imports has suffered yet another blow. China is to scrap export tariffs on 81 of its textile and clothing products. Reports say the latest move is already starting to...

Boost for Brazilian synthetic fibres.(MARKETS: Report)
June 6, 2005... RISING DEMAND for disposable goods plus improved credit lines will help boost Brazilian consumption of synthetic fibre intermediates in 2005, according to Sao Paulo-based consultancy Lafis. However, consumption will be slower than last year due...

The PVC market is vastly oversupplied.(MARKETS: Report)
June 6, 2005... THE EUROPEAN polyvinyl chloride (PVC) market is so oversupplied that even the recent vinyl turnarounds have done little to tighten stocks. Sellers say they 'haven't even noticed the shutdowns' as lower-than-expected demand and limited export...

A taste of Spain for Brenntag Quimica.(Logistics Watch)
June 6, 2005... Brenntag Quimica has bought Spanish food additives and ingredients supplier Especialidades Puma. The deal includes a logistics facility at Sant Andreu de la Barca near Barcelona. Brenntag said the purchase strengthens its regional presence as...

Dow Corning offers Silanes online.(Logistics Watch)
June 6, 2005... Dow Corning is offering its silanes and siloxanes expertise via on-line platform SpecialChem. Users will be able to 'explore the versatile solutions that silanes can bring to plastics and rubber applications', said Dow Coming. Among the...

Almaty presence for Russia's Empils.(Logistics Watch)
June 6, 2005... Russian coatings manufacturer Empils has opened an office in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Empils said that the office will cover Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kirghizia, Tadjikistan and Turkrnenia where it plans to increase sales volumes this year by between...

Sigma-Aldrich stockroom rat welcomes.(Logistics Watch)
June 6, 2005... Sigma-Aldrich has launched a virtual stockroom. Designed to resemble an actual laboratory stockroom, it allows customers to access products, programmes and services in an easy and fun way. Visit the site, staffed by Simon the lab rat, at...

CER: include external costs.(LOGISTICS & DISTRIBUTION)(Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... OPINIONS ON the non-inclusion of external costs in proposed road tolls were voiced at a meeting in Brussels, Belgium, last month hosted by the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER). External costs include costs...

Exel is awarded Nalco warehouse contract.(LOGISTICS & DISTRIBUTION)
June 6, 2005... LOGISTICS COMPANY Exel has won a major contract with water treatment chemicals company Nalco. It has become Nalcos warehousing and in-plant logistics partner at its production site in Northwich, UK Exel will operate three warehouses,...

Veder orders two carriers.(LOGISTICS & DISTRIBUTION)(Anthony Veder Group)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... NEW CONTRACT commitments have prompted the ordering of two new ethylene carriers by Dutch shipowner, Anthony Veder Group. Delivery is set for the second half of 2006. The 5600[m.sup.3] Ice Class 1A vessels will be built at Cantiere Navale...

Russia's export duty is to be raised yet again.(MARKETS: Global roundup)
June 6, 2005... Export duty on petrochemical products in Russia is to be raised for the third time this year. The increase of 28% or $22.70/tonne to $104.10/tonne will hit ethylene, propylene, benzene, butadiene, toluene, butylene and xylene amongst other...

Cabot ups masterbatch/conductive compounds.(MARKETS: Global roundup)
June 6, 2005... Cabot is planning to hike the price of its masterbatches and conductive compounds in Europe by 70 [euro]/tonne and 40 [euro]/ tonne, respectively. The hikes, to be implemented from 1 June, are a response to higher raw material and energy costs....

Production starts at Teijin's Shanghai site.(MARKETS: Global roundup)(Teijin Chemicals )(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... Teijin Chemicals has started up production at its 50 000 tonne/ year facility in Shanghai, China, with material expected to be on the merchant market by mid-June. The company intends to build a second plant for end-2006 start up, which will...

World's largest EPTA plant is commissioned.(MARKETS: Global roundup)(ethanolic phosphotungstic acid plant for Zhejiang Hualian Sunshine Petrochemical Industry Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... Lurgi, Eastman Chemical and SK Chemicals have successfully commissioned a 660 000 tonne/ year E PTA plant in Shaoxing, China. The plant--the World's largest--was built for Zhejiang Hualian Sunshine Petrochemical Group. The start-up of the plant...

P&G inks billion dollar deal with Domba Mas.(MARKETS: Global roundup)
June 6, 2005... Proctor & Gamble has signed supply agreements with the Domba Mas Group. The deal is worth over $1bn for the purchase of over 200 000 tonne/year oleochemicals from the Domba Mas Group's facility over a ten-year period. The facility is currently...

Thailand to prohibit MTBE sale from 2007.(MARKETS: Global roundup)
June 6, 2005... Thailand is to ban the sale of the gasoline additive methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) from 2007, according to a statement by the Ministry of Energy in a Thai newspaper. Ibis is to encourage the use of biofuels such as gasohol and reduce...

Polyprima plans PTA expansion in West Java.(New projects)
June 6, 2005... Indonesia's Polyprima Karyareksa plans to expand the capacity of its purified terephthalic acid (PTA) plant at Cilegon, West Java by 60 000 tonne/year to 480 000 tonne/year by mid-July. The expansion work will take place during a three-week...

Sinopec to up chlor-alkali capacity in Nanjing.(New projects)
June 6, 2005... Sinopec Nanjing Chemical Plant is to expand the capacity of its chlor-alkali facility at Nanjing, Jiangsu province, China, to 300 000 tonne/ year. The 65 000 tonne/year plant will be expanded to 100 000 tonne/ year by end-2005 and then tripled...

Triplex Chemical to increase ECH production.(New projects)(epichlorohydrin)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... Taiwan's Triplex Chemical will expand its epichlorohydrin (ECH) plant in Taoyuan, northern Taiwan, when the facility is shut for a two-week turnaround from early October The capacity will rise by 6000 tonne/year from 18 000 tonne/year, using...

Thai Paraxylene aromatics plant expansion.(New projects)
June 6, 2005... Thai Oil plans to complete an expansion to wholly owned subsidiary Thai Paraxylene's aromatics plant at Sri Racha in 2007. The invitation-to-bid documents are being prepared, and a turnkey contractor should be selected by the third quarter of...

NPC to issue invitations-to-bid to licensors.(New projects)
June 6, 2005... Thailand's National Petrochemical Co (NPC) is expected to issue invitation-to-bid documents to licensors and turnkey contractors for its 1m tonne/year cracker project throughout June. NPC's board approved plans to increase the capacity of the...

Abbreviations and currency notes.(New projects)
June 6, 2005... Prices contained in this magazine are obtained by ECN through consultation with producers, consumers and merchants across Europe They are intended as a guide to price levels of recent business in Europe and reflect medium to large tonnage...

Seal of approval for expansion in Wilhelmshaven.(NEW PROJECTS)(INEOS Fluor Ltd.)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... INEOS HAS signed a joint declaration with the Lower Saxony government in Hanover, Germany, over its 1bn [euro] expansion plans for Wilhelmshaven, which include a new cracker, an expansion of PVC production and a chlorine electrolysis plant (ECN...

Unipar to up cumene capacity and switch technology route.(NEW PROJECTS)
June 6, 2005... UNIPAR WILL expand its cumene capacity by about 100 000 tonne/year in 2007, according to group president Roberto Garcia. Following last year's expansion of Unipar's Capuava, Sao Paulo plant to 210 000 tonne/ year, a study is under way to...

High costs force Qatar to delay GTL projects.(NEW PROJECTS)
June 6, 2005... RISING ENGINEERING, procurement and construction costs have forced Qatar to put the brakes on three of its most recently announced gas to liquids (GTL) projects. Qatar Petroleum director of Downstream Ventures Ali alSidiky told the Middle...

Sumitomo to build at Jurong Island.(NEW PROJECTS)(Sumitomo Chemical Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... SUMITOMO CHEMICAL plans to build a 90 000 tonne/ year methyl methacrylate (MMA) plant and a 50 000 tonne/year polyMMA (PMMA) plant at Jurong Island, Singapore. Both plants, with a combined investment of Yen20bn (147.1m [euro]/$185.3m), are...

Sabic plans Yanbu complex with Fluor.(NEW PROJECTS)
June 6, 2005... SAUDI BASIC Industries Corp (Sabic) has signed a letter of intent with Fluor for the construction of utilities and site facilities at Yanbu National Petrochemicals Co's site in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia (ECN 23 May). 'I expect that these works...

Egypt plant and mine for Iffco.(NEW PROJECTS)
June 6, 2005... INDIAN FARMERS Fertiliser Cooperative (Iffco) plans to set up a 500 000 tonne/year phosphoric acid plant in Egypt. It will also open a rock phosphate mine there to provide feedstock to its existing phosphoric acid plants in India. The...

Extra ethane will feed olefins project.(NEW PROJECTS)
June 6, 2005... A $500M ethane extraction plant with a capacity of 150m [ft.sup.3]/day planned for eastern Venezuela will increase ethane availability for the plastics industry, says a representative of state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA). Roberto...

700m [euro] is earmarked.(Projects Watch)
June 6, 2005... Cespa will invest 700m [euro] between 2005 and 2009 on expanding its derivative petrochemicals business. This investment includes a previously announced 300m [euro] expansion at its Ertisa petrochemical plant at La Rabida, Spain, along with the...

More PC at Yeochun?(Projects Watch)(polycarbonate)(LG Dow Polycarbonate)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... LG-Dow Polycarbonate is conducting a feasibility study into the construction of a second 65 000 tonne/year polycarbonate line in Yeochun, South Korea. The study, which will evaluate the start-up date, will be completed in this third quarter....

Be selective to be effective: Dede Williams talks to Ron Sheldon, director of Advent International.(FEATURE: Private equity)(Cover Story)
June 6, 2005... WITH HOLDINGS of slightly under 1bn [euro], Boston, US-based Advent International is not one of the bigger private equity investors in the European chemical industry. However, its more selective and cautious approach, compared with that of some...

Blueprint for AdBlue: use of urea-based AdBlue is the key to reducing diesel truck emissions. Xavier Maillard takes a look at the production, pricing and distribution of the product.(FEATURES: Exhaust emissions)
June 6, 2005... THE EU is pressing hard for a further reduction in emissions by heavy duty diesel engines, with a new Euro 4 standard coming into force in October this year. AdBlue, a liquid solution containing 32.5% of urea, will play a central role in...

Sharq wins British 2004 safety award.(Environment: Watch)
June 6, 2005... Sabic affiliate Eastern Petrochemical Company (Sharq) has received the British Safety Council's International Safety Award for 2004. Congratulating the winner, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said At its best, sensible health and safety should be...

Black Pearl Award goes to DuPont.(Environment Watch)
June 6, 2005... DuPont has received the International Association for Food Protection's Black Pearl Award for corporate excellence in food safety. The award is presented annually to one company for its efforts in advancing food safety and quality through...

Contaminated feed arrives in Ireland.(Environment Watch)
June 6, 2005... Ireland's authorities have told the European Commission that a shipment of corn gluten feed, which arrived in Ireland, was contaminated with the unauthorised GMO maize Bt10. This is the first case of a contaminated consignment arriving in the...

The ECPI slams report linking phthalates to baby defects.(ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS)(European Council for Plasticisers and Intermediates)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... THE EUROPEAN Council for Plasticisers and Intermediates (ECPI) has slammed a recent study which said that there is a 'highly significant relationship between human exposure to phthalates and adverse changes in the genitals of baby boys'. ...

What the newspapers have said.(ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS)
June 6, 2005... Where the study was reported, a number of headlines indicated that the chemical in question 'may' cause defects in baby boys. At the same time a newspaper report in the US obtained statements from the Cosmetic Toiletry and Fragrance Association...

Degussa and Carbide in EPA violations.(ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS)
June 6, 2005... THE US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has cited Degussa Goldschmidt Chemical for 'alleged clean-air violations' at the company's speciality chemical plant in Mapleton, Illinois, US. The EPA claims that Degussa violated its state...

UK seeks climate policy.(ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS)
June 6, 2005... UK BUSINESS leaders are offering to work in partnership with the UK government to develop a 'world-leading' climate change policy, to dramatically scale up investment in low-carbon technologies, and to increase support for action on climate...

Sasol takes action over employee safety issue.(ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS)
June 6, 2005... SASOL IS to action recommendations following a safety review conducted by DuPont Safety Resources. The company said that the Safety Improvement Plan had a number of key elements that covered 'safe behaviour, contractor and process safety'. ...

Comment: Jonathan Pershing, director climate, energy and pollution programme at the World Resources Institute, talks to ECN about the business case for tackling climate change.(ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS)
June 6, 2005... 'Boardrooms around the world have woken up to the importance of climate change and are beginning to make the corporate changes necessary to cope with emerging greenhouse gas restraints. 'Companies will take action for many reasons, but in...

Concerned ITRE chair contacts EU over proposed funding cuts.(INNOVATION)(Giles Chichester of Industry, Research and Energy)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... THE CHAIR of the European Parliament's committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), Giles Chichester, has written to the parliament's president, Josep Borrell, to express the committee's 'alarm and disappointment' at cuts to the EU...

STAT3 antagonists aid contraception.(INNOVATION)
June 6, 2005... UK SCIENTISTS have discovered a new approach to contraception that could potentially avoid the increased risks of blood clots, breast cancer and increased blood pressure associated with conventional hormone-based methods. The study by...

Simpler drug delivery moves forward.(INNOVATION)
June 6, 2005... A NEW method for making tiny hollow spheres called microcapsules promises a much simpler and more environmentally friendly method of delivering drugs, its developers believe. The approach, devised by chemical engineers from Rice University, US,...

Codexis contract.(News Watch)
June 6, 2005... Californian biosciences company Codexis has signed a research agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb to improve biocatalyst activity for a new Bristol-Myers Squibb candidate. The work will involve using Codexis' proprietary pharmaceutical process...

Qiagen buys up Artus.(News Watch)
June 6, 2005... The Germany-based subsidiary of Qiagen has agreed to buy biotechnology firm Artus Gesell-schaft fur molekularbiologische Diagnostik und Entwicklung. The buy will add approximately $15m in net sales, and $1.5-2m in net income to Qiagen's 2006...

PER.C6 cell line use.(News Watch)
June 6, 2005... Dutch biotechology company Crucell and allied contract manufacturer DSM Biologics have signed a commercial licence agreement with Ferring Pharmaceuticals, allowing Ferring to use the PER.C6 cell line in the area of women's healthcare. ...

A sporty new TPU.(News Watch)(thermoplastic polyurethane)(Bayer MaterialScience AG)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... Bayer MaterialScience has developed a new thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) for the production of films used to coat fabrics. Desmopan DP 6580A MVT has an unusually high 'breathability' which opens up new applications for coating sports and...

Buyer apathy hits the market.(MARKETS: Plastics monitor)
June 6, 2005... DESPITE STRENUOUS efforts, European plastics producers failed to turn commodity polymer markets last month. Industry sellers had posted increases reaching up to 50-70 [euro]/tonne for May, but in fact markets experienced further decreases of...