Distributor IMCD has agreed to acquire Polychem, a Vienna-based supplier of chemical raw materials and additives to speciality chemical manufacturers in Austria and Southeast Europe, notably in coatings and construction. Terms were not disclosed but it is known that Polychem had sales of about €25 million in 2020.
India-based CDMO Piramal Pharma has taken a 27.78% equity stake in Yapan Bio of Hyderabad, which provides process development, scale-up and cGMP manufacturing of vaccines and biologics/bio-therapeutics of all kinds, including recombinant and RNA/DNA vaccines, gene therapies and monoclonal antibodies.
Johnson Matthey (JM) has agreed to sell the majority of its Health business to Altaris Capital Partners, an investment firm focused exclusively on the healthcare industry, for £325 million enterprise value, or 9.8 x EBITDA in the 12 months to 30 September 2021. Completion is anticipated in mid-2022, subject to regulatory approvals.
Wacker Chemie has presented its new sustainable development goals (SDGs) at its latest online capital market day. These are based on the ‘Science-Based Targets’, in line with the goal of keeping the global rise in temperature below 1.5°C as per the UN ‘Race to Zero’, which Wacker has joined.
“We have spent the last few months scrutinising our product portfolio and production processes. Our goals take us to the limit of what we consider to be technically feasible and achievable,” said CEO Christian Hartel.
CDMO CordenPharma has acquired the finished drug product manufacturing business of Vifor Pharma Group, which is refocusing its manufacturing on nephrology and iron deficiency. This comprises sites at Fribourg and Ettingen in Switzerland, and Lisbon, Portugal. Terms were not disclosed. The deal is expected to close in Q1 2022.
Sumitomo Chemical is to start a full-scale study on reorganising three of its research laboratories in Japan. The company described this as “part of its efforts to accelerate the creation of next-generation businesses”.
The plan includes building a new facility at Osaka as a base for incubation and open innovation by Q3 2024. This has research capabilities in safety assessment, industrial technologies and business sector-led projects in ICT and life sciences.
CDMO Seqens has confirmed that its planned change of ownership has been completed, with SK Capital, a private investment firm focused on the specialty materials, chemicals and pharmaceuticals sectors, becoming the majority shareholder.
