Medical House is to sell its Eurocut subcontract engineering subsidiary to Semes for up to £3.7m, in order to focus on its drug delivery division. [28-Dec-2007]
Pharmalicensing, the York-based life sciences and biopharmaceutical technology transfer firm, is to be acquired by UTEK Corporation for £1m. [24-Dec-2007]
Novartis is to shed 2,500 jobs from its global pharmaceuticals business over the next two years, which could affect sites at Horsham in West Sussex and Frimley in Surrey. [17-Dec-2007]
Vindon Healthcare, the pharmaceutical services firm, has appointed Wilson Bowden to build a new £3.3m 29,000 sq ft factory and storage facility at the Kingsway Business Park in Rochdale by autumn 2008. [13-Dec-2007]
GlaxoSmithKline is to invest £50m in the development of a new neuroscience research centre at Shanghai in China by the end of next year. [13-Dec-2007]
Dechra Pharmaceuticals is planning to acquire VetXX, the Danish supplier of veterinary products with 165 staff, for £62m. [13-Dec-2007]
Personal Screening has acquired the Over50s.com web portal for £0.1m, in order to expand its online sales of medical testing kits and other health products. [12-Dec-2007]
Inverness Medical Innovations has acquired BBI Holdings, the diagnostic tests manufacturer with sites in Cardiff, Swansea and Dundee, for £84m. [12-Dec-2007]
Reckitt Benckiser is to acquire Adams Respiratory Therapeutics, the US pharmaceuticals company, for £1.1bn, as part of a strategy to create a global over-the-counter medicines business. [11-Dec-2007]
The Specials Laboratory is looking to expand the 145-strong workforce at its Northumberland-based pharmaceuticals business with 23 new staff. [07-Dec-2007]
Bionostics, the Oxford-based medical diagnostics group, is to be acquired by NAV Bidco for £15m. [07-Dec-2007]
Focus Pharmaceuticals, the Burton-based supplier of prescription generic pharmaceuticals with 15 staff, has undergone a £3.2m management buy-out backed by Matrix Private Equity. [05-Dec-2007]
Concateno is to relocate its drugs testing business and up to 100 jobs from London and Warrington to Milton Park, near Didcot, by next May. [05-Dec-2007]
ClinTec International is planning to set up a new headquarters for its clinical research business in Glasgow, with the creation of 240 jobs over the next three years. [29-Nov-2007]
Genus is to sell its Animalcare veterinary pharmaceuticals business to Ritchey for up to £14m. [28-Nov-2007]
Sanofi Aventis, the pharmaceuticals company, is planning to relocate its Guildford headquarters in 2009 and is seeking a suitable 80,000 sq ft site in the Thames Valley. [28-Nov-2007]
Ashton Pharmaceuticals, the Manchester-based drugs manufacturer with 280 staff, has been bought out of administration by Recipharm of Sweden for undisclosed terms. [26-Nov-2007]
GlaxoSmithKline has acquired Reliant Pharmaceuticals, the US supplier of cardiovascular medicines, for £798m. [22-Nov-2007]
United Drug has acquired Procon Conferences, the Harrogate-based pharmaceutical conference services company with 28 staff, for £4.2m. [21-Nov-2007]
Consort Medical is to close the former Bespak pharmaceutical inhalers factory in Milton Keynes with the loss of 165 jobs. [15-Nov-2007]
ICI is expected to vacate its 70,000 sq ft global headquarters at 20 Manchester Square in London, with the transfer of up to 175 staff. [14-Nov-2007]
Nicholas Piramal India is to shed up to 70 of the 400 jobs at its pharmaceuticals contract manufacturing plant in Morpeth, Northumberland, next year. [13-Nov-2007]
Creative Outsourcing Solutions International has been bought of administration by Dutch firm Budelpack, securing the future of 560 jobs at its cosmetics factory near Bridgend, but up to 180 jobs will be lost in Littlehampton. [13-Nov-2007]
Galpharm, the Barnsley-based supplier of non-prescription medicines, is said to be seeking a buyer with a price tag of up to £50m. [12-Nov-2007]
One NorthEast is to help fund the development of a new training centre for the chemical industry, with the creation of 25 jobs, and a number of potential sites in Teesside will be considered. [09-Nov-2007]
Synexus, the Chorley-based drug trials company with 150 staff, is to be acquired by private equity firm Lyceum Capital for £18m. [09-Nov-2007]
Henkel is considering plans to close a number of chemical plants and shed thousands of jobs after completing the £2.7bn acquisition of the National Starch adhesives business from ICI early next year. [09-Nov-2007]
Clariant is to close its leather treatment chemicals factory in Selby, North Yorkshire, by the end of next year, with the loss of 128 jobs. [09-Nov-2007]
Ark Therapeutics is to raise £35m in a share placing to fund its drug development programme. [07-Nov-2007]
Almac Sciences is looking to double the 25 staff at its production and research site at Elvingston Science Centre in East Lothian, while its Irish parent company is to set up a new US headquarters in Pennsylvania. [06-Nov-2007]
Lancashire Chemical Works, the Derbyshire-based chromium chemicals supplier with 40 staff, has undergone a management buy-in backed by the Endless buy-out fund. [06-Nov-2007]
Bio-Stat, the Stockport-based healthcare products group with 70 staff, has been acquired by Inverness Medical Innovations of the US for up to £24m. [02-Nov-2007]
NextGen has raised £1.1m in a share placing to fund the commercial development of systems for understanding the role of proteins in diagnosis and drug discovery. [02-Nov-2007]
Genus has raised £19m in a share placing, in order to reduce debt and fund the development of its animal genetics business. [02-Nov-2007]
Augean has acquired RNA Investments, the Avonmouth-based chemicals and solvents recycling company that trades as Chemical Recoveries, for £5.8m. [02-Nov-2007]
Northern Recruitment Group is planning to expand its staffing levels in Middlesbrough from 12 to 40 over the next 18 months, in response to rising demand from the chemical industry. [01-Nov-2007]
Norbrook Laboratories is to invest £83m in the expansion of its veterinary pharmaceuticals research and development business in Newry, with the creation of up to 293 jobs by 2013. [31-Oct-2007]
Renovo is to relocate its Manchester-based medical research business to a new 25,000 sq ft site at the University of Manchester Incubator Company's core technology facility by the end of the year. [31-Oct-2007]
Creative Outsourcing Solutions International is expected to make an announcement about the future of its cosmetics factory in Maesteg within two weeks, prompting concern about the future of 600 jobs. [29-Oct-2007]
GlaxoSmithKline has announced plans to shed about 1,000 of the 20,000 jobs at its 23 sites in the UK over the next three years, as part of a global plan to shed at least 5,000 jobs. [25-Oct-2007]
AstraZeneca has shed 30 of the 300 jobs in its Cambridge Antibody Technology subsidiary, in order to merge the company with its US-based Medimmune business. [22-Oct-2007]
Creative Outsourcing Solutions International is planning to shed up to 92 jobs at its cosmetics factory in Maesteg. [19-Oct-2007]
Human Recognition Systems has secured a £2m investment from Capital Values Group to help fund the expansion of its Liverpool-based biometrics business, and the 24 staff are relocating to a new site at Wavertree Technology Park. [18-Oct-2007]
AAI Pharma is to expand its drug industry support business in Edinburgh over the next three years, including a new site in the Riccarton area and the creation of up to 47 scientific and administration jobs. [18-Oct-2007]
Solvay is to sell its caprolactone chemicals business in Warrington to Perstorp Group of Sweden for £140m, with the transfer of 65 staff. [17-Oct-2007]
United Drug has acquired Alliance Healthcare Information, the US pharmaceutical sales and marketing services company with 163 staff, for £4.6m. [16-Oct-2007]
Wynnstay has acquired MVZ Farm Supplies, the Droitwich-based animal healthcare products distributor, for an initial £0.5m. [16-Oct-2007]
Boehringer Ingelheim is to close its respiratory products factory in Bracknell in 2010, with the loss of 220 jobs. [12-Oct-2007]
Biofusion has sold its 50% stakes in Cardiff ProTides and Cardiff Biologicals to Morvus Technology, leaving it with a portfolio of 23 companies from partnerships with universities in Sheffield and Cardiff. [11-Oct-2007]
York Pharma has acquired Derms Development, the dermatology company that owns Cheshire-based Crawford Healthcare and employs a medical sales force of 53, for £17m. [11-Oct-2007]
GrowHow UK, the fertiliser and chemical manufacturer, is to close its Severnside plant near Bristol in 2008, with the loss of 127 jobs. [10-Oct-2007]
Shire is to sell a portfolio of dermatology products sold in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Ireland to Almirall for £104m, in order to focus on its main biopharmaceuticals business. [09-Oct-2007]
Wyeth is to acquire Haptogen, the Aberdeen-based biopharmaceutical therapies company with 30 staff, for an estimated £25m. [09-Oct-2007]
E-Therapeutics is planning to raise up to £5m in a share placing to fund the expansion of its Tyneside-based drugs development business. [08-Oct-2007]
Avecia Biologics is creating about 20 new research and development jobs, following a £1m investment in new laboratory facilities at its site in the Tees Valley. [04-Oct-2007]
Mentholatum is to invest £10m in the expansion of its non-prescription medicines and healthcare products factory in East Kilbride, and the 80-strong workforce will grow by about 25%. [04-Oct-2007]
Norfolk Lavender, the Norfolk-based fragrance supplier with 55 staff, is to merge its wholesale marketing and distribution business with Gleneagles of Edinburgh. [03-Oct-2007]
NiTech Solutions of East Kilbride has secured £0.8m from PUK Ventures to fund the commercial development of a mixing system that promises to cut production costs in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. [03-Oct-2007]
Sinclair Horticulture has won planning consent for a temporary storage depot in Carlisle, securing the future of 80 jobs at its peat extraction business until a permanent site can be found. [02-Oct-2007]
The Medical Research Council has unveiled proposals to build a £350m medical research laboratory on a 3.5-acre site being sold by the government near the British Library in London, in partnership with the Wellcome Trust, UCL and Cancer Research UK. [01-Oct-2007]
Plant Health Care has raised £5m in a share placing to fund the commercial development of natural products for plant and soil care. [28-Sep-2007]
Terra Industries is to close its head office in Teesdale following its merger with Kemira GrowHow, but most of the 42 staff will be offered alternative positions. [26-Sep-2007]
Biotec Distribution Wales is to set up a new £1.5m drug development centre in Bridgend by next April, with the creation of 27 jobs. [20-Sep-2007]
Dundee University is to invest £6m in a new Division of Molecular Medicine at the College of Life Sciences, including new laboratory facilities and the creation of about 100 jobs. [20-Sep-2007]
Aesica has finalised the acquisition of the Abbott pharmaceuticals factory in Queenborough, Kent, securing the future of 450 staff. [20-Sep-2007]
SABIC UK Petrochemicals has submitted plans to build a new £200m polypropylene plant at Wilton on Teesside, but may still decide to locate the project elsewhere. [18-Sep-2007]
Zi Medical of North Wales is to change its name to Vivomedica, following the recent sale of its Zimed infusion business. [17-Sep-2007]
AstraZeneca is planning to outsource more of its pharmaceutical manufacturing activities over the next ten years, in order to focus on research and marketing. [17-Sep-2007]
Pfizer is to close its pharmaceuticals factory at Sandwich in Kent with the loss of 420 jobs over the next two years, but its research and development centre will remain in the town. [12-Sep-2007]
Rohm & Haas is to shed about 40 of the 145 jobs at its chemicals factory in South Tyneside by next year, in order to transfer some of the production to China. [11-Sep-2007]
Bee Health is to create up to 50 new jobs at its factory in Bridlington, having won approval to supply Halal vitamins and supplements to Malaysia. [10-Sep-2007]
Gilead Pharmaceuticals is to set up a new 43,000 sq ft office at Stockley Park in west London. [10-Sep-2007]
Universal Sensors, the Cambridge-based developer of biosensor technology to detect drugs, is planning to expand its workforce from eight to 40 over the next year. [06-Sep-2007]
Concateno is to acquire Cozart, the Abingdon-based drug testing firm, for £64m, funded by a £54m share placing. [06-Sep-2007]
Celanese Acetate is to close its chemicals factory at Little Heath, Coventry, with the loss of 120 jobs, while 50 jobs will be shed at its Derby plant. [04-Sep-2007]
Croda International has sold its Refrigeration Lubricants business to Lubrizol for £62m, with the transfer of a small number of sales and technical staff. [04-Sep-2007]
Quotient BioResearch is to acquire Alba Bioscience, the Edinburgh-based company with 60 staff, from the Scottish Blood Transfusion Service for undisclosed terms. [03-Sep-2007]
MDY Healthcare is to provide up to £3m in loan capital to finance a joint venture with William Ransom & Son, in order to supply natural healthcare products to consumers via the internet, mail order and telesales. [31-Aug-2007]
Kendle is to relocate its Edinburgh-based clinical research business and 100 staff to a 14,200 sq ft unit at the Technopole science park. [30-Aug-2007]
St Andrews ChemTech International, the Fife-based chemical technology company with 16 staff, has undergone a management buy-out. [29-Aug-2007]
McBride is to shed up to 31 of the 350 jobs at its detergents factory in Barrow in September. [27-Aug-2007]
Aesica is planning to create about 40 jobs at a new £10m pharmaceuticals outsourcing factory in Northumberland over the next few years, while 15 new jobs will be created at its North London factory by the end of the year. [27-Aug-2007]
Chimatica has secured "significant" funding from NatWest to expand its Liverpool-based pharmaceuticals research outsourcing business. [22-Aug-2007]
Medical House has sold its SQ-PEN needle-free insulin injector business to Diabetes Management International for an initial £0.7m. [21-Aug-2007]
Zi Medical is to sell its St Asaph-based Zimed medical infusions business to a new company called Zimed Holdings for an initial £1.2m. [21-Aug-2007]
ICI has acquired Advanced Applied Adhesives of the US, in order to expand its Electronic Materials division. [17-Aug-2007]
Q Chip has secured a £2m equity investment to fund the expansion of its Cardiff-based drug delivery and DNA testing technology business. [16-Aug-2007]
ICI, the speciality chemicals manufacturer, is to accept a £8bn takeover offer from Akzo Nobel of the Netherlands. [13-Aug-2007]
Omega Diagnostics has raised £2.2m in a share placing to fund the acquisition of Genesis-CNS, the Cambridgeshire-based nutritional sciences company with 25 staff, in a £6.7m reverse takeover. [07-Aug-2007]
Immunodiagnostic Systems is to acquire Biocode Hycel, the Belgian diagnostics company, for £15m. [06-Aug-2007]
Co-operative Group is to invest £20m in the development of a prescription drugs manufacturing plant in Tianjin, China, in a joint venture with Tasly Group that will give it greater control over its supply chain. [06-Aug-2007]
Hexion Specialty Chemicals is to close its factory in Clayton, Manchester, in 2008 with the loss of up to 28 jobs, in order to transfer production of pressure-sensitive adhesives to the Czech Republic. [01-Aug-2007]
ReNeuron Group is to acquire AmCyte, the US cell therapy company, for £2m, including cell encapsulation technology, laboratories and staff. [27-Jul-2007]
AstraZeneca has announced plans to shed a further 4,700 jobs from its pharmaceuticals business, affecting sales and marketing, research and development and business infrastructure. [27-Jul-2007]
SLG Beauty is to relocate its cosmetics manufacturing business and 65 staff from Leominster to a 60,000 sq ft factory in Gloucester in December. [20-Jul-2007]
ICI is to acquire the Dulux paints business in South Africa from AECI for £52m, including subsidiaries in Botswana, Zambia, Swaziland, Malawi and Namibia. [18-Jul-2007]
Reckitt Benckiser is to sell Hermal, its prescription skincare business, to Laboratorios Almirall of Spain for £255m. [17-Jul-2007]
Premier Research Group has acquired ARS of the US for £11m and D-Target of Switzerland for £7m, in order to expand its clinical research business. [16-Jul-2007]
Huntsworth has acquired AXIS Healthcare Communications, the US provider of services to pharmaceutical and medical device companies with 200 staff, for an initial £9m. [16-Jul-2007]
Concateno has acquired CPL International, the Liverpool-based provider of alcohol and drug testing services, for £0.8m. [16-Jul-2007]
Huntsman, the chemicals manufacturer with 650 staff at sites in Hartlepool, Wilton, Haverton Hill and Billingham, is to be acquired by Hexion for £5.3bn, which beats a rival offer from Basell. [16-Jul-2007]
Renishaw has acquired a 75% stake in D3 Technologies for £1.8m, in order to develop University of Strathclyde technology for the detection of genetic predisposition to disease. [12-Jul-2007]
Tepnel Life Sciences has acquired Wildlife DNA Services and Food DNA Services, the North Wales-based providers of genotyping and food analysis services. [10-Jul-2007]
NeutraHealth has acquired Health Products for Life, the online supplier of vitamins and supplements, for £0.5m. [06-Jul-2007]
Immunodiagnostic Systems is to acquire Nordic Bioscience Diagnostics of Denmark for £17m and production of diagnostic testing kits will transfer from Copenhagen to Tyneside. [05-Jul-2007]
Cleveland Potash is to invest £20m at the Boulby potash mine in East Cleveland, in order to extend its life by at least 20 years and secure the future of 1,000 jobs. [04-Jul-2007]
The Medical Research Council is considering plans to relocate some of its facilities from Mill Hill in Hertfordshire to a £200m "super centre" or a number of smaller sites in London. [04-Jul-2007]
Roar Particles has raised £1.3m from private investors to fund the expansion of its nanotechnology and fingerprint analysis business. [02-Jul-2007]
Angel Biotechnology has closed its medical research facility at Cramlington in Northumberland with the loss of an unspecified number of jobs, in order to focus on its Edinburgh site. [29-Jun-2007]
Artenius UK is to stop producing terephthalic acid at its Wilton plant, with the loss of 70 of the 340 jobs over the next few months. [29-Jun-2007]
BioProgress is to acquire Melbrosin, the supplier of natural health products with 52 staff in Germany, Italy, Austria and the UK, for up to £24m. [29-Jun-2007]
Bespak is to shed a "significant" number of the 160 jobs at its site in Milton Keynes, due to lower than expected demand for its new diabetes treatment device. [29-Jun-2007]
Wolstenholme International is to close its ink products factory in Darwen by the end of next year with the loss of more than 150 jobs, following its £16m acquisition by Altana of Germany. [22-Jun-2007]
Pfizer is planning to transfer 65 jobs from Sandwich, Kent, to its Kalamazoo site in the US, as part of a reorganisation of its animal health research operations. [20-Jun-2007]
ICI, the speciality chemicals manufacturer with about 4,000 staff in the UK, has received a £7.2bn takeover approach from Akzo Nobel of the Netherlands. [19-Jun-2007]
Aesica is in negotiations to acquire the Abbott pharmaceuticals factory in Queenborough, Kent, with the transfer of up to 470 staff. [15-Jun-2007]
Alliance Pharma is shedding 11 jobs at its Chippenham-based pharmaceuticals business, as part of a cost-cutting programme. [15-Jun-2007]
Brunner Mond has secured planning permission to build a new £10m sodium bicarbonate plant at Lostock in Northwich by 2009, with the creation of 14 jobs. [14-Jun-2007]
West Pharmaceutical Services is to shed up to 90 of the 480 jobs at its four sites in Cornwall by the end of the year, following the loss of a contract at its St Austell factory. [14-Jun-2007]
BASF is planning to close its adipodinitrile plant in Seal Sands in 2009, with the loss of 30 jobs. [13-Jun-2007]
Swallowfield is to shed up to 150 temporary jobs at its cosmetics factories in Wellington and Bideford, in order to transfer some production to the Czech Republic. [08-Jun-2007]
Intertek has acquired Quantitative Technologies, the US pharmaceuticals testing company, for £10m. [08-Jun-2007]
Medical Solutions is to acquire Geneservice, the Cambridge-based supplier of genomic products and services to the life sciences sector, for £3.9m. [08-Jun-2007]
Quintiles is to set up a new £7.5m pharmaceuticals research centre at the Alba Campus in Livingston, with the creation of 150 jobs. [07-Jun-2007]
Integrin Advanced Biosystems has acquired Biobest, the Penicuik-based virology, serology and DNA diagnostics company, for £2.8m. [05-Jun-2007]
Yule Catto is to close its Holliday Pigments speciality chemicals factory in Hull with the loss of 95 jobs, in order to transfer production to France. [04-Jun-2007]
Vickers Laboratories is to expand the distribution facilities at its speciality chemicals business in Leeds with the creation of four jobs, and a new laboratory will be set up. [01-Jun-2007]
The University of Edinburgh has announced plans to open a £4.3m Centre for Human & Avian Influenza Research in September, in order to develop new ways to control major flu outbreaks. [28-May-2007]
Sanofi Aventis is investing £12m in the expansion of its pharmaceuticals plant in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, securing the future of 500 jobs. [25-May-2007]
Concateno is to acquire Marconova, the Swedish drug and alcohol testing company, for £2m. [23-May-2007]
AstraZeneca is planning to restructure its pharmaceuticals marketing team with the loss of up to 300 jobs, in response to structural changes within the NHS's Strategic Health Authority. [22-May-2007]
BioProgress has acquired PharmaHerb, the vitamin and nutritional products supplier, for £0.6m. [22-May-2007]
The Specials Laboratory is to create 15 new jobs at its Northumberland-based pharmaceuticals business, taking the workforce to 150. [21-May-2007]
Napp Pharmaceuticals is planning to expand its headquarters at the Cambridge Science Park, with the signing of a prelet on 120,000 sq ft of office space in three adjacent buildings. [17-May-2007]
Reckitt Benckiser, the cleaning products manufacturer, is said to be looking to relocate staff from two offices in Slough, having appointed DTZ to find a suitable 200,000 sq ft site in the Thames Valley. [16-May-2007]
ULive is planning to raise £20m in a flotation on Aim to fund the commercial development of medical technology from the University of Liverpool. [14-May-2007]
Elementis is to sell its global pigments division to Rockwood Specialities Group of the US for £70m, in order to reduce debt. [14-May-2007]
United Drug is looking to spend up to £130m on acquisitions, and is particularly interested in the pharmaceuticals packaging sector. [10-May-2007]
Scottish Enterprise has announced a tie-up with Alexandria Real Estate Equities for the development of a £250m life sciences research centre next to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, which is expected to create 6,500 jobs. [09-May-2007]
Petlon Polymers is to shed 16 jobs at its nylon recycling plant in Lydney, Gloucestershire. [07-May-2007]
United Drug has acquired Craig & Hayward, the Oxfordshire-based medicines supplier with 13 staff and net assets of £1.2m. [07-May-2007]
ICI is to acquire Dongsung Chemical, the South Korean adhesives manufacturer, for £15m. [07-May-2007]
Intercytex is to raise £12m in a share placing to fund the expansion of its Cambridge-based cell therapy business. [04-May-2007]
Penn Pharmaceuticals, the Tredegar-based contract manufacturer with more than 200 staff, has undergone a £67m management buy-out backed by Lloyds Development Capital. [30-Apr-2007]
Dechra Pharmaceuticals has acquired Leeds Veterinary Laboratories, the Leeds-based supplier of veterinary diagnostic tests with 18 staff, for £0.8m. [30-Apr-2007]
E-Therapeutics has raised an undisclosed seven-figure sum to fund the expansion of its Tyneside-based drug discovery business, which currently employs 18 staff, and is also considering plans for a flotation. [26-Apr-2007]
York Pharma has acquired Rosanto Pharmaceuticals for £2m, and has also raised £5.3m in a share placing to fund the commercial development of skin care products. [25-Apr-2007]
AstraZeneca is to acquire MedImmune, the US biotechnology company that is developing about 45 experimental drugs and flu vaccines and has almost 3,000 staff, for £7.7bn. [24-Apr-2007]
Dundee Cell Products has secured a six-figure cash injection from the Discovery Investment Fund to develop manufacturing and research facilities for its life sciences business at the Dundee University Incubator. [23-Apr-2007]
Bespak is to acquire Emergent Respiratory Products, the US supplier of breathing equipment, for up to £19m. [17-Apr-2007]
United Drug has acquired the pharmaceuticals and healthcare packaging services division of Budelpack International of Belgium, with the transfer of 140 staff. [12-Apr-2007]
Goldshield is to reorganise itself into two separate businesses, with one controlling its pharmaceutical interests and the other its Wellbeing division, having dropped plans for a management buy-out. [11-Apr-2007]
Maelor has acquired Acorus Therapeutics, the Bishop Auckland-based pharmaceuticals and medical devices company, for £13m. [06-Apr-2007]
EctoPharma of Edinburgh has secured a £2m investment from the Braveheart venture capital syndicate and other investors to fund the commercial development of non-toxic pesticides. [05-Apr-2007]
BBI is planning to expand its diagnostic test kit manufacturing facilities in Dundee, with the creation of 27 new jobs over the next three years. [04-Apr-2007]
Concateno has acquired Euromed, the London-based provider of drug testing devices with 13 staff, for £12m. [02-Apr-2007]
Cambridge Antibody Technology is to set up a new 92,000 sq ft research and manufacturing centre at Granta Park in Cambridge by 2008, as part of an expansion programme that will create 300 jobs. [02-Apr-2007]
Bayer CropScience is to close its chemicals factory in Widnes within a year, with the loss of 105 jobs, and some of the production will transfer to India. [30-Mar-2007]
Alliance Boots is planning to shed 300 of the 7,000 jobs at its Beeston factory in Nottingham over the next 18 months, having lost a contract to supply skincare products to Reckitt Benckiser. [29-Mar-2007]
BBI has acquired Theratase, the enzyme manufacturer with sites in Blaenavon, London and South Africa, for £24m. [28-Mar-2007]
Oxeco is to acquire Oxray, the Oxford-based start-up company involved in molecular structure determination services, for £2m. [28-Mar-2007]
Cognia, the US life sciences company, is to set up a new European operations centre at its site in Edinburgh, with the creation of 75 jobs. [26-Mar-2007]
VASTox has acquired DanioLabs, the Cambridge-based drug discovery company with 37 staff, for £15m, as well as Dextra Laboratories, the Reading-based carbohydrate chemistry services company with 17 staff, for £1.5m. [23-Mar-2007]
Fulcrum Pharma is to acquire Unicus Regulatory Services, the Wokingham-based pharmaceutical regulatory consultancy, for up to £5m. [20-Mar-2007]
Gentronix has secured a £1.4m investment from NVM Private Equity and existing backers to fund the recruitment of a global sales team for its Manchester-based biotechnology business. [19-Mar-2007]
Morvus Technology is to create 54 jobs at a new 14,000 sq ft pharmaceuticals research centre at the National Botanical Garden in Carmarthenshire over the next three years. [16-Mar-2007]
Vivalis is to close its Constance Carroll cosmetics factory in Skelmersdale with the loss of 250 jobs, in order to transfer production to China. [16-Mar-2007]
Akcros Chemicals has been sold by Akzo Nobel to investment firm GIL Investments for undisclosed terms, including 160 staff at sites in Manchester and the US. [16-Mar-2007]
Paradigm Therapeutics, the Cambridge-based pharmaceuticals company with 70 staff, is to be acquired by Takeda of Japan in a multi-million pound deal. [14-Mar-2007]
BP is looking to sell its ethyl acetate and vinyl acetate monomer operations, including 40 staff at Saltend in Hull, and has also announced plans to restructure its acetic acid business with the transfer of 30 jobs from Middlesex to Saltend. [14-Mar-2007]
PZ Cussons is to increase its planned investment in a new personal care products factory in Salford from £15m to £26m, in order to include a research centre and fragrance development facility. [13-Mar-2007]
Oxford Biomedica has acquired Oxxon Therapeutics, the Oxford-based therapeutic vaccines company, for £16m. [13-Mar-2007]
The University of Aberdeen is planning to set up a £2.2m life sciences centre in partnership with Scottish Enterprise Grampian and Aberdeen City Council, with the creation of 200 jobs. [08-Mar-2007]
Jeyes is planning to shed up to 70 of the 250 jobs at its bathroom cleaning products factory in Mold, in order to transfer work to the Czech Republic. [08-Mar-2007]
Angel Biotechnology has raised £0.6m in a share placing to fund the purchase of equipment for its Northumberland facility. [07-Mar-2007]
AstraZeneca has announced plans to invest a further £4.3m in the expansion of its pharmaceuticals testing laboratory in Brixham, Devon, by 2008. [07-Mar-2007]
British Vita is to sell its Hyperlast and Autothane elastomer systems operations to Dow Polyurethanes for undisclosed terms, including 170 staff in Derbyshire and Wrexham. [07-Mar-2007]
Tor Coatings, the Wearside-based paint and adhesives manufacturer with 193 staff, has been acquired by RPM International of the US. [06-Mar-2007]
BioProgress has acquired DMPL, the French pharmaceuticals marketing company, for £0.3m. [06-Mar-2007]
Cozart has acquired Nemesis Scientific, the provider of workplace drug testing services with 86 collection agents and offices in Wakefield and Swindon, for £1.1m. [05-Mar-2007]
Phytopharm has raised £1.7m in a share placing to strengthen its balance sheet and fund the commercial development of pharmaceutical products. [05-Mar-2007]
Neuropharm is planning to raise £20m in a flotation on Aim to fund the development of drugs for disorders of the central nervous system. [05-Mar-2007]
UCB is planning to create a further 100 pharmaceutical research jobs at its site in Slough, to add to the existing 805 staff. [02-Mar-2007]
Millennium Chemicals, the Stallingborough-based titanium dioxide manufacturer with 420 staff, is being sold as part of a £612m deal between Cristal of Saudi Arabia and current owner Lyondell. [02-Mar-2007]
Treatt has acquired a 50% stake in Earthoil, the Lichfield-based supplier of organic essential oils and vegetable oils, for £2.5m. [01-Mar-2007]
Hays has acquired James Harvard, the London-based recruitment company specialising in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, for an initial £24m. [28-Feb-2007]
McBride is to acquire Chemolux, the Luxembourg-based household products manufacturer with a site in Coventry and 120 UK-based staff, from Henkel for up to £39m. [27-Feb-2007]
AstraZeneca is to shed 700 of the 2,500 jobs at its pharmaceuticals factory in Macclesfield over the next three years, but has also announced plans to invest £63m in a new laboratory at the site. [21-Feb-2007]
Shire is to acquire New River Pharmaceuticals of the US for £1.3bn, in order to gain control of Vyvanse, a new drug for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. [21-Feb-2007]
Tristel is to start manufacturing chlorine dioxide contamination control products at a new site near its Newmarket headquarters in May, transferring production from a supplier in Kent. [20-Feb-2007]
Ciba Specialty Chemicals is planning a multi-million pound investment in new equipment at its factory in Bradford by mid-2008, but will shed up to 60 of the 900 jobs. [15-Feb-2007]
McBride has acquired Dasty Italia, the Italian manufacturer of household cleaning liquids with about 100 staff, for £19m. [13-Feb-2007]
BioCity, the Nottingham-based bio-science incubation centre, is planning a £5m expansion project, in order to offer an additional 40,000 sq ft of laboratory space by the end of the year. [07-Feb-2007]
TrichoTech, the Cardiff-based drugs testing company, has been acquired by investment firm Concateno for £11m. [06-Feb-2007]
Jeyes, the household cleaning products company, is to restructure its Thetford site with the loss of up to 25 of the 350 jobs. [06-Feb-2007]
AstraZeneca is to acquire Arrow Therapeutics, the London-based biotechnology company with 57 staff, for £76m, and has also announced plans to shed 3,000 jobs over the next three years. [02-Feb-2007]
The Scottish Funding Council has announced a £77m alliance between the universities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Strathclyde and St Andrews to collaborate in life sciences research, with the creation of 18 research and 24 support jobs. [02-Feb-2007]
Analytical Nano Technologies has announced a flotation on the Plus market to fund the commercial development of technology for the detection of chemical leaks. [02-Feb-2007]
HFL, the Newmarket-based sports forensic testing company with 130 staff, has been sold by the Horserace Betting Levy Board to the Quotient BioResearch consortium of investors for £20m. [31-Jan-2007]
Alliance Boots is to move into the Chinese pharmaceuticals distribution market through a joint venture with Guangzhou Pharmaceuticals Corporation. [30-Jan-2007]
NeutraHealth is to acquire Brunel Healthcare, the Bristol-based supplier of vitamins and supplements, for an initial £4m. [25-Jan-2007]
ClinPhone is planning to expand the 452-strong workforce at its Nottingham-based clinical trials technology business with 80 additional staff over the next 12 months. [25-Jan-2007]
Alliance Boots is to set up a £3m Boots Centre for Innovation at Swansea University's Institute for Life Science, in order to help researchers and entrepreneurs develop new pharmaceutical products. [23-Jan-2007]
Pfizer is to shed 10,000 jobs in its global pharmaceuticals business, including about 250 of the 6,000-strong UK workforce at sites in Kent and Surrey. [23-Jan-2007]
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals is considering plans to relocate its UK headquarters from Maidenhead to a 100,000 sq ft site at Green Park in Reading. [22-Jan-2007]
Cellartis of Sweden is planning to set up a £9m biotechnology research centre in Dundee, with the creation of up to 75 jobs. [19-Jan-2007]
Huntsman is to invest £11m in the expansion of its adhesives factory in Duxford, Cambridgeshire, with the creation of 15 new jobs. [19-Jan-2007]
Creative Outsourcing Solutions International is to expand its cosmetics factory in Maesteg over the next three years, with the creation of 300 jobs, but 240 jobs will be lost at its site in Littlehampton. [18-Jan-2007]
Ineos is to close the high density polyethylene plant at its site in Grangemouth at the end of the year, and the 35 staff will be redeployed. [15-Jan-2007]
The University of Edinburgh has secured a £24m Scottish Executive grant to set up a £59m stem cell science and regenerative medicine centre, housing up to 220 academic researchers. [12-Jan-2007]
Skyepharma is to sell its injectable drugs business to Blue Acquisition for up to £42m, in order to focus on its Flutiform asthma treatment, and has also announced plans to raise £15m in a share placing. [10-Jan-2007]
Protherics has raised £38m in a share placing to fund the expansion of its biotechnology business, including the acquisition of US-based MacroMed and licensing deals with Glenveigh Pharmaceuticals and Advanced In Vitro Cell Technologies. [05-Jan-2007]
Almac Pharma Services is to create 60 new jobs at its site in Craigavon, following a £5.4m investment in new pharmaceutical research facilities. [04-Jan-2007]
Evolutec, the Reading-based biotechnology company, has put itself up for sale. [04-Jan-2007]
GeneMedix has received a £32m cash injection from Reliance Life Sciences to secure the future of its Newmarket-based drugs development business. [03-Jan-2007]
Altrix, the Warrington-based drug testing firm with 54 staff, has been acquired by Concateno for £11m. [02-Jan-2007]
GlaxoSmithKline is to acquire Praecis Pharmaceuticals, the US biopharmaceuticals company, for £28m. [02-Jan-2007]
Norman Hay has acquired a 75% stake in Tam International, the Daventry-based supplier of sealant, chemical solutions and application equipment to the construction industry, for £1.7m. [02-Jan-2007]
ProStrakan has sold its ProSkelia drug discovery business in France to Galapagos of Belgium for £8.4m. [02-Jan-2007]