Penn Pharmaceuticals, the Tredegar-based manufacturer of bespoke unlicensed drugs with 170 staff, has been acquired by Celgene of the US for £62m, and its service division has undergone a secondary management buy-out. [31-Dec-2004]
Immunodiagnostic Systems has raised £1.8m in a flotation on Aim to fund the development of a diagnostic test for the MRSA infection. [27-Dec-2004]
Sinclair Pharma is to acquire Euroderm, the Italian supplier of dermatology pharmaceuticals with 33 staff, for £4.2m. [23-Dec-2004]
Alltracel Pharmaceuticals is to acquire Westone Products, the London-based developer of oral care products, for an initial £4m. [21-Dec-2004]
GlaxoSmithKline is to shed a further 100 jobs at its antibiotics plant in Ulverston, Cumbria. [20-Dec-2004]
Pharmion, the pharmaceuticals company, is to set up a 20,000 sq ft office at Riverside House in Windsor. [20-Dec-2004]
Avecia is to sell its NeoResins coatings and inks business, which has 635 staff at five sites worldwide, to DSM of the Netherlands for £355m. [15-Dec-2004]
Montagne Jeunesse is to set up a cosmetics factory at the Baglan Energy Park in Port Talbot early next year, in order to transfer production from Swansea and Horsham. [14-Dec-2004]
Premier Research has raised £8m in a share placing to fund the expansion of its Berkshire-based pharmaceutical development outsourcing business. [06-Dec-2004]
Strakan has acquired Elfar, the Spanish pharmaceuticals distribution company with 45 staff, for undisclosed terms. [03-Dec-2004]
AstraZeneca is to set up a £21m pharmaceuticals manufacturing plant in Egypt in 2007, with the creation of 140 jobs. [02-Dec-2004]
ProPharma is planning to double the workforce at its Glasgow-based biotechnology business to 60 over the next three years. [01-Dec-2004]
Catapult Venture Managers has helped Food & Drug Analytical Services raise £0.5m to fund the creation of a new Nottingham-based business to provide analytical services for the food and pharmaceutical sectors. [26-Nov-2004]
Invista is planning to shed up to 150 jobs at its fibres plant in Gloucester over the next three months. [26-Nov-2004]
Rhodia Chemicals is planning to close its chlor-alkali plant at Staveley near Chesterfield, with the loss of 76 jobs. [25-Nov-2004]
ICI is to sell its National Starch & Chemical polymer operations in North America and Europe to Celanese of the US for £112m. [24-Nov-2004]
AstraZeneca is investing £75m in Cambridge Antibody Technology, in order to co-operate in the development of anti-inflammatory drugs. [23-Nov-2004]
Eastman Kodak is to close five photographic laboratories in Glasgow, Northampton, Portishead, Walsall and Bristol next year, with the loss of about 500 jobs. [18-Nov-2004]
DuPont is creating 40 new jobs at its Kevlar manufacturing plant at Maydown in Londonderry, having secured £2.5m of financial assistance from Invest NI. [18-Nov-2004]
Alcontrol, the environmental and food testing company with 1,500 staff at 26 laboratories in ten countries, has been acquired by private equity firm Candover. [17-Nov-2004]
Martindale Pharmaceuticals is to close its recently-acquired Eldon Laboratories in Newcastle with the loss of up to 85 jobs, in order to transfer the work to its main site at Brentwood in Essex. [11-Nov-2004]
Warwick International has acquired Equest Market Research, the Durham-based supplier of detergent laboratory test products with annual turnover of £2m. [11-Nov-2004]
Inpharmatica, the drug discovery company with 100 staff in London and Cambridge, has raised £14m in a third round financing led by Reed Elsevier Ventures. [10-Nov-2004]
Eclipse Scientific has acquired Silliker, which has 25 staff at analytical laboratories in Swadlincote and Braintree, for undisclosed terms. [10-Nov-2004]
DSM is planning to shed 200 jobs at its vitamin factory in Dalry, Scotland, as part of a cost-cutting programme. [08-Nov-2004]
Huntsman is to shed 140 jobs at its chemicals plant in Whitehaven by the end of 2006, taking the workforce down to just ten. [01-Nov-2004]
JSC, the Harrogate-based chemical industry consultancy with 20 staff, has undergone a management buy-out for undisclosed terms from US parent company Shaw Group. [29-Oct-2004]
Syntopix, the Leeds-based life sciences company, has secured a £0.2m capital investment to fund the development of new drugs for dermatological diseases. [29-Oct-2004]
Warner Chilcott, the Craigavon-based pharmaceuticals company, has accepted a £1.6bn takeover offer from a private equity consortium of DLJ Merchant Banking and JP Morgan. [28-Oct-2004]
Ciba Specialty Chemicals is to close its textile dyes and chemicals plant in east Manchester by 2008, with the loss of 300 jobs. [28-Oct-2004]
Strakan has raised £22m from investors to fund the expansion of its Borders-based pharmaceuticals business, and is interested in product and corporate acquisitions. [27-Oct-2004]
Alliance Pharma is to buy various pharmaceutical brands from Unigreg, as well as certain dental assets from CollaGenex International, for a combined £8.8m. [25-Oct-2004]
East Anglian Pharmaceuticals, the Norwich-based drugs wholesaler with 130 staff, is to be acquired by Phoenix Healthcare Distribution for undisclosed terms. [25-Oct-2004]
Cambridge Biostability has secured £1m of funding from the Department of International Development to develop a new technique that enables vaccines to be stored without the need for refrigeration. [20-Oct-2004]
ReGen Therapeutics is to acquire Guildford Clinical Pharmacology Unit, the contract research organisation, for £0.25m. [20-Oct-2004]
Sarissa Biomedical has secured a £0.5m investment from Midven and WM Enterprise to fund the commercial development of devices for use in neurophysiology diagnostics. [14-Oct-2004]
Aventis, the pharmaceuticals company, is said to be planning to close its West Malling office in Kent with the loss of up to 240 jobs, in order to consolidate the work in Guildford. [14-Oct-2004]
Synairgen is planning to raise up to £10m in a flotation on Aim to fund the development of new asthma treatments. [13-Oct-2004]
GlaxoSmithKline is to close its pharmaceuticals plant in Montrose in 2006, with the loss of 300 jobs. [11-Oct-2004]
Sareum Holdings, the drug discovery company, has raised £2m in a share placing on Aim. [11-Oct-2004]
Allergy Therapeutics, the supplier of allergy pollen vaccines, has raised £16m in a share placing on Aim. [11-Oct-2004]
Argenta Discovery has merged with Etiologics, creating a combined drug discovery contract research group with 120 staff in Harlow and Slough. [08-Oct-2004]
CeNes is to raise £11m in a share placing to fund the development of a pain relief drug. [06-Oct-2004]
Eastman Kodak is to close its photographic film factory in Nottinghamshire next year with the loss of 350 jobs, while a further 250 jobs will be lost at its base in Harrow. [06-Oct-2004]
Lawrence is to acquire the remaining 50% stake in ECO Animal Health, the supplier of veterinary pharmaceutical products, for an initial £8m. [05-Oct-2004]
VASTox, the drug screening company spun out of Oxford University, is planning to raise up to £15m in a flotation on Aim next month. [04-Oct-2004]
Scottish Enterprise has announced the creation of the Edinburgh Scientific Triangle, in order to unite 3,300 researchers at seven Edinburgh-based life sciences and microchip design institutions under one brand name. [04-Oct-2004]
Solexa, the Cambridge-based genome sequencing company, has raised a further £8m of venture capital to fund the commercial development of its technology. [01-Oct-2004]
Tor Coatings has bought Blackfriars, the Bristol-based paints supplier, out of administration, securing the future of 45 jobs. [27-Sep-2004]
Protherics has disposed of its Porton Down research facility in Wiltshire to Morvus, but will retain first refusal on certain products developed at the site. [24-Sep-2004]
Pfizer is to acquire Meridica, the Cambridge-based drug delivery company, from PA Consulting for £70m. [23-Sep-2004]
Rhodia Pharma Solutions is to shed 85 jobs from the 350-strong workforce at its plant in North Tyneside, following a decline in its key markets over the past six months. [21-Sep-2004]
Warner Chilcott, the pharmaceuticals group formerly known as Galen, has received a £1.5bn takeover approach from three US private equity firms. [21-Sep-2004]
Provalis has raised £2.6m in a share placing to help satisfy rising demand for its new diabetes diagnostic product. [20-Sep-2004]
Browne Group, the Leicester-based chemical instruments company with 65 staff, has been acquired by Steris Corporation of the US for undisclosed terms. [20-Sep-2004]
Nalco is expected to temporarily shut down production at its chemical factory in Winnington, Cheshire, due to a dispute with unions. [17-Sep-2004]
Bachem has set up a new £1.1m pharmaceuticals laboratory in St Helens, with the creation of six jobs. [17-Sep-2004]
Huntsman Petrochemicals has announced plans to build a £200m low-density polyethylene plant on Teesside by 2007, with the creation of 117 jobs, and two existing plants will be upgraded. [08-Sep-2004]
KHIDI, the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, is looking to invest up to £18m in Scottish drug development research projects over the next nine years, having established a new office at the West of Scotland Science Park in Glasgow. [07-Sep-2004]
British Vita is looking to expand its chemicals and plastics business by spending £50m a year on acquisitions. [07-Sep-2004]
Alcontrol, the laboratory analysis, is to be put up for sale by Bridgepoint Capital with an estimated value of £220m. [06-Sep-2004]
Arakis of Cambridge has raised £29m from investors to fund clinical trials for its drug development programme. [06-Sep-2004]
Lloyds TSB Development Capital has backed a management buy-out of the Northumberland-based pharmaceutical business of BASF, creating a new company called Aesica Pharmaceuticals with 140 staff. [03-Sep-2004]
Osmetech is to acquire Molecular Sensing, the Melksham-based genetic analysis company, for £3.1m. [02-Sep-2004]
The Scottish Centre for Genomic Technology & Informatics (GTI) has secured a £4.5m funding package to support the commercialisation of life sciences research at the University of Edinburgh. [01-Sep-2004]
Xenova has sold its biopharmaceuticals manufacturing facility in Canada to QSV Biologicals for £3m. [01-Sep-2004]
Aroma & Fine Chemicals, the manufacturer of fragrances, has been sold by Close Brothers Private Equity to Octel of the US for £21m. [31-Aug-2004]
Albion Chemicals is to build a £1.5m bulk terminal and chemicals distribution centre at the Port of Belfast by next summer. [27-Aug-2004]
Rhodia Pharma Solutions has secured a £1.8m investment from the Scottish Executive to help with a £10m scheme to upgrade its site in Annan over the next three years. [24-Aug-2004]
Upstate, the drugs services group, is to relocate its European operations to a new headquarters at the Invergowrie technical park near Dundee later this year, with the transfer of staff from Milton Keynes and Cambridge. [24-Aug-2004]
The Department of Trade & Industry has awarded grants totalling £15m to 25 nanotechnology research projects, while a further £3m is going to Inex, the Newcastle-based microsystems and nanotechnology facility. [24-Aug-2004]
Unipath, the supplier of women's health products, is to shed about 25 of the 500 jobs at its site in Bedford this autumn. [20-Aug-2004]
The Centre for Life in Newcastle is considering plans for a £250m expansion of its medical research facilities, which would involve the development of 500,000 sq ft of additional space over the next ten years. [19-Aug-2004]
Physiomics is planning to raise £1m in a flotation on Aim, to fund the development of software that studies cell reaction to various drugs. [16-Aug-2004]
ALcontrol Laboratories is to relocate some of its soil contamination laboratory facilities and up to 200 jobs from Cheshire to the new Hawarden Business Park in Flintshire later this year. [13-Aug-2004]
North East Lincolnshire Council has approved plans to set up a £6m training centre in Stallingborough by October 2005, in order to train staff for jobs in the chemical industry in the Immingham and Grimsby areas. [12-Aug-2004]
Molecular Profiles is to relocate its Nottingham laboratory to a new £2m site on the Nottingham Business Park in October. [02-Aug-2004]
Tepnel Life Sciences is to acquire Diaclone Research, the French supplier of monoclonal antibodies, from OPi for £1.6m. [02-Aug-2004]
Johnson Matthey is to sell its pigments and dispersions business, which has 280 staff in the UK and Australia, to Rockwood Specialties for £27m. [26-Jul-2004]
Protherics is to raise about £10m in a share placing, and some of the proceeds will be invested in its biopharmaceuticals plants in Wales and Australia. [21-Jul-2004]
Cozart has raised £6.7m in a flotation on Aim to fund the expansion of its narcotics testing business. [21-Jul-2004]
Rhodia is to stop producing hydrofluoric acid at its chemicals factory in Avonmouth later this year, with the loss of 59 jobs. [15-Jul-2004]
Johnson Matthey is to acquire Lancaster Synthesis, the organic chemicals supplier with manufacturing facilities in Morecambe and 225 staff worldwide, from Clariant for £14m. [14-Jul-2004]
NeuTec Pharma is planning to raise up to £25m to fund the European launch of Mycograb, an antibody for fungal infections. [13-Jul-2004]
Disperse Technologies is to transfer its listing from Ofex to Aim, following the £9m acquisition of cosmetics importer Elizabeth French. [12-Jul-2004]
Microscience, the Wokingham-based developer of oral vaccines, is expected to seek private funding, having dropped plans to raise £40m in a flotation on Aim. [12-Jul-2004]
Actavis, the Icelandic pharmaceuticals company with 7,000 staff, is planning a flotation in London early next year. [05-Jul-2004]
Cyclacel is to raise £27m in a flotation to fund the expansion of its cancer drugs business. [05-Jul-2004]
PZ Cussons has acquired the Charles Worthington hair care business for an initial £25m. [02-Jul-2004]
Witton Chemical Company is to shed about 12 of the 60 jobs at its fine chemicals factory in Mildenhall. [02-Jul-2004]
Syngenta is to close its genetically modified crops laboratory at Jealott's Hill in Berkshire with the loss of 130 jobs, in order to transfer the work to North Carolina in the US. [01-Jul-2004]
Ipsen Biopharm is to shed 80 jobs at its pharmaceuticals plant in Wrexham and 17 at a site in Watton, Norfolk, in order to stop producing a medicine for the treatment of haemophilia. [30-Jun-2004]
Pharmaceutical Profiles is creating 20 new jobs at its Nottingham-based clinical research business, with vacancies for technicians, project managers, laboratory and administration staff. [29-Jun-2004]
Alberto Culver is planning to shed a number of the 414 jobs at its shampoo factory in Swansea, following the loss of a major contract from Henkel. [28-Jun-2004]
Terra Nitrogen has secured £0.25m of Regional Selective Assistance to finance the £2.1m upgrade of its ammonia manufacturing facility in Billingham. [21-Jun-2004]
Constance Carroll Cosmetics is to shed about 50 jobs in Skelmersdale over the next two months. [18-Jun-2004]
One NorthEast and the Department for Trade & Industry are to award a £3.8m funding package to establish an Institute for Bioinformatics at university and business locations in the North East. [15-Jun-2004]
Biotrace International has acquired Tecra Holdings, the Australian supplier of test kits for food-related pathogens, for £5.2m. [15-Jun-2004]
Vectura is planning to raise up to £25m in a flotation on Aim to fund the commercial development of its inhalers. [15-Jun-2004]
Evolutec is planning to raise £7.5m in a flotation on Aim to fund the development of new drugs. [14-Jun-2004]
Great Lakes Chemical Corp has sold its chemicals factory in Holywell to Ian Shott Development for undisclosed terms, and the 57 staff will be retained to offer a range of research and development services. [10-Jun-2004]
Strakan Pharmaceuticals is to merge with Proskelia of France, in order to create a combined skin, bone and hormone disorder company with a valuation of £200m. [09-Jun-2004]
Bayer CropScience is to shed 80 jobs at its formulating and packing department at Hauxton, Cambridgeshire. [07-Jun-2004]
Bartoline has unveiled plans to build a new £5m 60,000 sq ft solvents factory in Beverley by December, following last year's fire at its previous site. [03-Jun-2004]
Ardana, the Edinburgh-based biotechnology company, has secured £9m of new funding to expand its sales and marketing operations and to pursue further licensing opportunities. [28-May-2004]
Perbio Science is to create 40 jobs in Cramlington over the next two years, following the £7m expansion at its HyClone bioscience pharmaceuticals factory. [27-May-2004]
Profile Therapeutics, the West Sussex-based biotechnology company, is to be acquired by Respironics of the US for £25m. [24-May-2004]
Celltech, the biotechnology company, is to be acquired by UCB of Belgium for £1.53bn. [19-May-2004]
Intertek is to acquire Avecia's analytical sciences laboratory in Manchester, with the transfer of 53 staff, having won a contract to provide chemical testing services to Avecia. [17-May-2004]
Chiron has sold its needle-free injection technology to PowderMed, a new company set up by former managers of Powderject. [17-May-2004]
AstraZeneca and Royal Cosun are to sell their Advanta seeds business to Syngenta of Switzerland for £280m. [13-May-2004]
ACS Dobfar UK is to stop manufacturing penicillin at its Bedlington plant in Northumberland with the loss of up to 170 jobs, and its Italian parent company is seeking a buyer for the site. [12-May-2004]
National Starch & Chemical is closing its adhesives factory in Tilbury Docks, with the loss of about 50 jobs. [06-May-2004]
Galen is to acquire a pharmaceuticals manufacturing facility in Puerto Rico from Pfizer, in order to reduce its reliance on third parties for the production of its existing products. [05-May-2004]
Ciba Specialty Chemicals is to shed about 90 of the 1,175 jobs at its chemicals plant in Bradford. [04-May-2004]
Galen has sold its UK-based pharmaceutical sales and marketing operation to its founder for £40m, and has also announced the sale of its sterile fluids solutions business to Gambro BCT of the US for £2.5m. [30-Apr-2004]
Amersham, the biotechnology and medical imaging company, is expected to shed up to 100 jobs in Buckinghamshire over the next 12 months, following its acquisition by GE. [30-Apr-2004]
One NorthEast has announced a £6.5m funding package for the Centre for Life laboratory in Newcastle, which will go towards research into degenerative diseases. [28-Apr-2004]
Cardinal Health is planning to shed up to 70 of the 900 jobs at its pharmaceuticals manufacturing business in Swindon. [26-Apr-2004]
The Department of Trade & Industry is planning to set up a research centre to develop alternatives to animal testing, and the Medical Research Council may be given a leading role in the project. [26-Apr-2004]
Elementis is to acquire Sasol Servo, the Dutch surfactants manufacturer with sites in the US, Mexico and Italy, for £32m. [23-Apr-2004]
Ultrafine, the Manchester-based provider of contract chemistry services for drug development with 80 staff, has been acquired by Sigma-Aldrich of the US for undisclosed terms. [21-Apr-2004]
Shire Pharmaceuticals is to sell its vaccines division to ID Biomedical of Canada for £66m, and Shire will loan about £60m to ID to fund the development of new products. [21-Apr-2004]
Angel Biotechnology has raised £1.8m of venture capital funding to set up a clinical manufacturing facility in Northumberland by the end of the year, with the creation of 12 jobs. [20-Apr-2004]
James Briggs, the Oldham-based manufacturer of chemical and aerosol products, has been acquired by ITW of the US for £20m. [19-Apr-2004]
British Biocell International is planning to raise £3m in a flotation on Aim, in order to fund the expansion of its diagnostics business. [14-Apr-2004]
Adprotech, the Cambridge-based drug discovery company with 20 staff, has been sold by Prelude Trust to Inflazyme Pharmaceuticals of Canada for £8.2m. [14-Apr-2004]
GlaxoSmithKline has acquired two heart disease drugs from Sanofi-Synthelabo for £297m, including a manufacturing facility in France that employs 650 staff. [14-Apr-2004]
DuPont is to shed 4,000 of the 78,000 jobs in its worldwide chemicals business, which could affect some of its six sites in the UK. [14-Apr-2004]
British Vita has acquired Atlas, the Australian manufacturer of ceramic tile adhesive, for £1.2m. [08-Apr-2004]
Huntsman Tioxide is to shed about half of the 340 jobs at its titanium dioxide pigment plant in Grimsby by the end of the year, while 50 jobs will be lost at its Billingham site. [06-Apr-2004]
Norwood Immunology is planning to raise £15m in a flotation on Aim to fund the development of new treatments to combat immune system diseases. [05-Apr-2004]
BP is to sell its global special products business, including production and distribution activities with net assets of £10m, to German speciality products company H&R Wasag. [05-Apr-2004]
Lawrence, the supplier of pharmaceutical products for the animal health and farming markets, is to sell its Interpet pet products division to Central Garden & Pet Company of the US in a £16m deal. [02-Apr-2004]
Eastman Chemical is to close its copolyesters production plant in Hartlepool with the loss of 75 jobs, in order to consolidate production in the US. [31-Mar-2004]
Oxford Biomedica has won a £0.5m grant to research treatments for Haemophilia A, as part of a £4m investment in gene therapy by the Department of Health. [31-Mar-2004]
BP is looking to sell 60% of its chemicals division, including its olefins production business, having ring-fenced £3.3bn of petrochemical assets. [30-Mar-2004]
Clariant is to close its speciality chemicals plant in Beverley next year with the loss of 120 jobs, in order to transfer production to its site in Selby. [26-Mar-2004]
Estee Lauder, the cosmetics company, has confirmed plans to relocate up to 300 jobs from Petersfield to a new £10m warehouse, manufacturing and office complex in Fareham early next year. [22-Mar-2004]
Acolyte Biomedica has raised £3.7m of venture capital to fund the development of a test for drug-resistant superbugs. [22-Mar-2004]
Arakis is looking to raise £25m from investors to fund the expansion of its drug development business. [22-Mar-2004]
Pochin has won a £15m contract to build a pharmaceutical production facility for Evans Vaccines in Speke. [18-Mar-2004]
De Witt, the Runcorn-based company with almost 100 staff, has expanded its medicated skincare business with the acquisition of T-Zone for undisclosed terms. [17-Mar-2004]
Monitor Coatings is looking to more than double the 32-strong workforce at its Wallsend-based coatings manufacturing business, and is relocating to a larger site at the West Chirton Industrial Estate. [17-Mar-2004]
GlaxoSmithKline is planning to set up a £76m medical imaging research centre at Hammersmith Hospital in London, in partnership with Imperial College and the Medical Research Council. [17-Mar-2004]
AstraZeneca is to invest £16m in new drug discovery facilities at its Charnwood site by 2006, with the creation of 75 scientific jobs, and has also provided details of a further investment at Alderley Park in Cheshire. [17-Mar-2004]
Meller Home & Beauty is to cut 100 temporary jobs at its toiletries factory in Portsmouth, in order to transfer work to Thailand. [16-Mar-2004]
Barclays Private Equity is to acquire a majority stake in Dualwise, the manufacturer of skin creams and lotions, in a £135m deal. [15-Mar-2004]
Shire Pharmaceuticals is looking to spend up to £550m on a large acquisition, as part of a strategy to reduce its reliance on its hyperactivity drug. [12-Mar-2004]
Avecia is to sell its biocides business, which has 290 staff at sites in Huddersfield, Grangemouth, Manchester and the US, to Arch Chemicals of the US for £118m. [11-Mar-2004]
Huntsman is to shed a further 45 of the 160 jobs at its chemical factory in Whitehaven. [10-Mar-2004]
Astex has announced a multi-million pound collaboration agreement with Boehringer of Germany, which will involve the development of new drugs using Astex's Pyramid technology. [10-Mar-2004]
Theratase is to acquire Seravac Biotech, the South African supplier of naturally-derived enzymes to the pharmaceutical industry, for £1.9m. [09-Mar-2004]
BioProgress has acquired Aquafilm, the US developer of pill coating products, for £6m, and has also raised £10m in a share placing. [09-Mar-2004]
Intercell of Austria has acquired the Excell Biotech manufacturing plant in Livingston in order to develop treatments for infectious diseases and cancer, but 23 of the site's 46 jobs will be lost. [04-Mar-2004]
British Vita, the foam manufacturer, has raised £68m from the sale of its remaining stake in Spartech of the US, and can now invest up to £150m in new plant, acquisitions and equity repurchases. [02-Mar-2004]
Chiron has started work on the £53m expansion of its vaccine manufacturing plant in Liverpool, in order to cope with rising demand from the US. [27-Feb-2004]
Tissue Science Laboratories is raising £2.6m in a share placing, in order to strengthen its balance sheet in preparation for licensing talks for its human tissue repair products. [27-Feb-2004]
Atofina is to reorganise its UK operations by setting up a new sales office in Stalybridge for its petrochemicals business and a new sales office for its chlorochemicals and performance products business in Solihull. [27-Feb-2004]
Phytopharm has raised £6.5m in a share placing, in order to strengthen its balance sheet and increase production of plant-based pharmaceuticals. [26-Feb-2004]
Domantis has raised £18m from 3i and a number of US-based investors to fund the expansion of its drug development business. [23-Feb-2004]
BP Chemicals is to close its Isopropanol production plant at Baglan Bay in Port Talbot next month, with the loss of 55 jobs. [19-Feb-2004]
Brecon Pharmaceuticals is planning to double the size of its production plant in Hay-on-Wye with the creation of 100 jobs. [19-Feb-2004]
Orla Protein Technologies has secured a £0.3m grant from Northern Enterprise to expand its nanobiotechnology business and collaborate with global pharmaceutical groups. [17-Feb-2004]
GeneMedix, the generic drug developer, is in takeover talks with a potential partner that would provide marketing opportunities in the US and Europe. [17-Feb-2004]
Estee Lauder, the cosmetics company, is to set up a 200,000 sq ft distribution centre in Fareham, Hampshire. [16-Feb-2004]
BTG is to raise £27m in a rights issue to fund the commercial development of its Varisolve treatment for varicose veins. [13-Feb-2004]
Oxoid, the Basingstoke-based supplier of diagnostic products, has been sold by PPM Ventures to Fisher Scientific International for £177m. [13-Feb-2004]
York Inward Investment Board has announced that Efamol is to set up a headquarters for its fatty acids research and marketing business in Selby, with the creation of ten jobs. [13-Feb-2004]
Accelrys is creating 30 new jobs at its biotechnology software business in Cambridge. [12-Feb-2004]
PZ Cussons is to sell its 1001 carpet care brand to WD-40 Company of the US for £6m, in order to focus on personal care products. [11-Feb-2004]
Alliance Pharma has acquired four Dermapharm dermatology brands for a total £0.9m, while the infrastructure and staff of Dermapharm which will be divested into a new company called Dermapharm Skincare. [11-Feb-2004]
ML Laboratories has sold Healthcare Education Services, the St Albans-based provider of pharmaceutical industry training services with annual turnover of £1.2m, to Bridgehead Pharmalicensing Group. [10-Feb-2004]
Amersham, the diagnostic imaging company, has announced proposals to build a multi-million pound headquarters and conference centre at its base in Chalfont St Giles. [09-Feb-2004]
BBSRC is considering proposals to close the Silsoe Research Institute in Bedfordshire in 2006, with the loss of up to 130 jobs, in order to transfer its agricultural research to other institutes. [09-Feb-2004]
Ark Therapeutics, the biotechnology group, is considering plans for a flotation with a valuation of more than £100m. [09-Feb-2004]
Eastman Chemical is considering plans to shed some of the 80 jobs at its plant in Hartlepool, as part of a worldwide reorganisation of its copolyester manufacturing operations. [06-Feb-2004]
Yorkshire Group is to sell part of its US-based textile dyes business to DyStar for £4.8m. [04-Feb-2004]
Xcellsyz is looking to raise up to £5m of venture capital to fund its research into diabetes, and expects to increase its Newcastle-based workforce from 10 to 30. [04-Feb-2004]
Acambis is to close its vaccine research centre in Cambridge with the loss of 40 jobs, in order to focus its biotechnology research activities in the US. [02-Feb-2004]
Lab901 has raised £1m in cash and grant assistance to fund the commercial development of its ScreenTape DNA testing equipment, and is looking to recruit six scientists. [30-Jan-2004]
ML Laboratories is planning to raise £14m in a share issue, in order to recapitalise its business following a delay to a number of drug licensing deals. [29-Jan-2004]
Great Lakes Chemical Corp is in negotiations to sell its chemicals manufacturing plant in Anglesey to Canatxx Energy Ventures of the US, which could result in the site being linked to a planned gas storage plant in Fleetwood. [28-Jan-2004]
BOC has sold its packaged gases business in the US to Airgas for up to £110m, including medical, industrial and speciality gases. [28-Jan-2004]
CP Pharmaceuticals is planning to shed up to 99 of the 440 jobs at its plant in Wrexham. [26-Jan-2004]
Eastman Kodak is planning to shed 15,000 jobs from its worldwide workforce, which could affect an office in Hemel Hempstead and photographic chemical factories in Liverpool and Nottinghamshire. [23-Jan-2004]
Fruiting Bodies, the Llangadog-based producer of medicinal mushroom extracts, has secured an investment from Finance Wales to expand its facilities and increase its workforce to about 50 over the next three years. [22-Jan-2004]
Kidde has acquired the fire-fighting chemicals division of Croda International, which employs 65 people at sites in Kirkby and France, for £4.4m. [20-Jan-2004]
The Moredun Research Institute in Edinburgh has secured £1.5m from the government to fund the commercial development of biomedical science and food production research being conducted by the Genomia consortium. [20-Jan-2004]
Genzyme of the US is to set up a biotechnology research facility in Cambridge this year, with 150 staff. [14-Jan-2004]
Nimbus Laboratories is to close its soap factory in Northampton in March, with the loss of 69 jobs. [12-Jan-2004]
Pfizer is to close its sales and marketing office in Southampton in March with the loss of up to 115 jobs, while a further 60 staff will relocate to its headquarters in Surrey. [08-Jan-2004]
Diosynth is to shed 70 jobs at its pharmaceuticals production plant in Buckhaven, Fife. [08-Jan-2004]
Elan is to sell its European sales and marketing business to Medeus UK, a new pharmaceutical company backed by Apax Partners, for £66m. [07-Jan-2004]
Xenova has sold an antibodies research facility in Farnham to Bioventix for £0.8m. [07-Jan-2004]
Aneda, the biotechnology company spun out from Edinburgh University, has been acquired by QbioCom of Surrey for £1m. [06-Jan-2004]
Network Health & Beauty has acquired a number of additional brands for £7.2m, including Harmony hairspray, Bodymist, Amplex and Goldspot. [06-Jan-2004]
PPL Therapeutics, the biotechnology company, is selling its nuclear transfer patents to Exeter Life Sciences of the US for £0.8m. [01-Jan-2004]