Tom McEleney, product marketing manager at ASCO and Paul Bristow, global product manager at TopWorx, look at how digital transformation technologies can improve predictive maintenance, reduce operating costs and improve safety and sustainability in speciality chemical plants
Members of the Sustainable Markets Initiative Health Systems Task Force have published an open letter to suppliers in the supply chain, asking them to commit to joining the initiative and working towards climate and sustainability targets. The CEOs of AstraZeneca, GSK, Merck& Co., Novo Nordisk, Sanofi and Samsung Biologics, and the chairman of Roche all signed it.
“Politicians need to finally wake up,” said Lanxess board chariman Matthias Zachert. “In the current phase of economic weakness, the location Germany is not competitive internationally. We urgently need sustainable framework conditions – above all an internationally competitive electricity tariff for the industry, the reduction of excessive bureaucracy and faster approval procedures.”
Thermo Fisher Scientific has settled a lawsuit brought by the estate of Henrietta Lacks, whose cells have been used extensively in biomedical research since her death in 1951 at the age of 31. Terms were not disclosed but attorneys on both sides said that they were satisfied.
Gains in biologicals are helping to offset huge market share for generics. Gregory Morris reports from Savannah
It was all business at the Specialty & Agro Chemicals America conference on 19-22 June, in the new venue of Savannah, Georgia. Exhibitors said that there was “a high level of energy at the show,” and this extended to the programme presentations.
During its Q2 results presentation, Chemours announced a decision to close its Kuan Yin TiO2 manufacturing facility in Taiwan (pictured). The firm described this as “part of a comprehensive strategy to improve the earnings quality of TT – producers of the popular Ti-Pure brand – by optimising its manufacturing circuit”.
CDMOs Axplora and Flamma have both made announcements about investments in flow chemistry, with the former completing the installation of a new cGMP pilot unit at Leverkusen, Germany, and the latter investing about $2 million in flow, starting with the installation of a new suite of equipment from Microinnova at Chignolo D’Isola, Italy.
