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Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals 1998
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The information below comes from the UK Activity Report.
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Akzo Nobel is setting up a headquarters for its new Acordis fire-retardant chemicals business in Derby, and 220 jobs will be transferred from London, Coventry and the Netherlands over the next 18 months. 30-Dec-1998

BP Chemicals is said to be considering plans to build a pipeline across the Humber to provide a link between its Saltend works to sites west of Immingham. 29-Dec-1998

SmithKline Beecham has won US approval for a vaccine against Lyme disease. 23-Dec-1998

Shell Chemicals is to buy a Teesside ethoxylation plant from ICI, but ICI will continue to operate the plant on Shell's behalf. 23-Dec-1998

Cantab Pharmaceuticals is forming an alliance with ImmuLogic Pharmaceutical of the US to develop vaccines against nicotine and cocaine. 22-Dec-1998

Axis Genetics is to move to a new R&D facility at Granta Park in Cambridge in early 2000, from where it will develop edible vaccines from plants. 17-Dec-1998

Rhodia is to restructure its Avonmouth chemicals plant by creating a new company called Rhodia Organique Fine and giving the site more autonomy. 17-Dec-1998

Sanofi is to invest £69m at its Tyneside pharmaceuticals plant, which should secure the future of 580 jobs. 17-Dec-1998

Brent International, the chemicals company, has received a takeover approach from an unnamed company. 17-Dec-1998

Chiroscience has won regulatory approval for its Chirocaine local anaesthetic in Sweden, which is said to be the first time a UK biotechnology company has won a licence for a significant new drug. 17-Dec-1998

Millennium Chemicals has completed a £75m expansion at its Stallingborough plant, which will increase titanium dioxide output from 109,000 to 150,000 tonnes per year. 14-Dec-1998

Oxford Biomedica is forming an alliance with Rhone Poulenc's RPR Gencell division in the US to develop gene therapy technology for heart disease. 14-Dec-1998

Proteus International has formed an alliance in which US-based ChemBridge will market its molecule design software. 12-Dec-1998

Organon of the Netherlands is to open a laboratory in Newhouse, Lanarkshire, to develop treatments for diseases of the central nervous system, creating 60 jobs. 11-Dec-1998

Bioglan Pharma is planning to raise £18m in a flotation, and some of the proceeds will be used to finance acquisitions in dermatology and drug delivery. 11-Dec-1998

Bimeda, part of the Dublin-based Cross Vetpharm group, is to set up a £3.6m veterinary products manufacturing plant and distribution depot on Anglesey, creating 72 jobs. 10-Dec-1998

Vanguard Medica has reached agreement with 3M Pharmaceuticals to develop an oral treatment for liver infection caused by hepatitis C, but has abandoned the development of a treatment for kidney failure. 10-Dec-1998

Glaxo Wellcome Egypt has acquired Amoun Pharmaceutical Industries for $117m, which will make it the largest pharmaceutical manufacturer in Egypt. 09-Dec-1998

Blagden Industries has ended merger discussions with an unnamed company, and will now focus on growing its speciality chemicals business through acquisition. 08-Dec-1998

SmithKline Beecham is acquiring joint commercial rights for a lymphoma treatment from Coulter Pharmaceutical of the US at a cost of up to £80m. 05-Dec-1998

Peptide Therapeutics has announced a research agreement with Novartis Pharma of Switzerland for the development of protease inhibitor drugs. 05-Dec-1998

Johnson & Johnson is considering plans to close its toiletries factory in Portsmouth, putting 167 jobs at risk. 04-Dec-1998

Meristem, the chemicals company, is closing its Wetherby head office and moving staff to another site in Doncaster. 03-Dec-1998

Powderject Pharmaceuticals has won a European patent for its DNA vaccine technology, which involves propelling DNA into the body using a helium jet. 02-Dec-1998

SmithKline Beecham has applied for US FDA approval to market its new diabetes treatment Avandia. 01-Dec-1998

Albright & Wilson is considering plans to switch chemicals distribution from road to rail, by reopening a disused line to link its Whitehaven factory to Widnes and Crewe. 27-Nov-1998

Lever Brothers is to cut 150 jobs at its Port Sunlight factory. 27-Nov-1998

Paterson Zochonis has completed a new £9m soap manufacturing facility at its Cussons plant in Nottingham, which it claims will make the complex the biggest such plant in Europe. 27-Nov-1998

Johnson Matthey is considering plans to spin off its electronic materials division in order to boost its share price by focusing on catalysts and speciality chemicals. 26-Nov-1998

ICI is to sell its 50% stake in a Japanese polytetrafluoroethylene business to its joint venture partner Asahi Glass for undisclosed terms. 25-Nov-1998

Antisoma is planning to raise £10m in a share placing in order to fund the development of Theragyn, its tumour-targeting antibody. 25-Nov-1998

The government is considering plans to introduce new legislation to enforce the pharmaceutical price regulation scheme, which is currently a voluntary system. 24-Nov-1998

Yule Catto is to close the sulphur dye business of its James Robinson subsidiary with the loss of more than 30 jobs in Huddersfield. 21-Nov-1998

Novara is selling its pharmaceutical wholesale business to Phoenix Pharmhandel of Germany for £22m, and has also announced plans to replace all of its warehouses with one new facility near Nottingham. 21-Nov-1998

Lubrizol International Laboratories of the US is looking to shed about 10% of the 240 staff at its chemical research plant in Hazelwood, Derbyshire. 20-Nov-1998

BOC expects to announce the sale of its German and Benelux gas assets early next year, but other sites could be closed as no buyers have been found. 18-Nov-1998

Novartis of Switzerland has acquired a 2% stake in Skyepharma in a £6m deal that will give it access to the UK company's dry powder inhaler technology. 18-Nov-1998

Phytopharm is raising £2.2m in a share placing in order to fund the development of plant-based pharmaceuticals. 17-Nov-1998

The government has banned the testing of cosmetic ingredients on animals, and all companies with permits have surrendered them. 17-Nov-1998

Quadrant Healthcare is to move from Cambridge to Nottingham following its acquisition of Andaris, the Nottingham-based drugs developer, but it is yet to decide how many of the 65 staff will move with it. 16-Nov-1998

British Biotech has dropped plans to build up an international sales operation and will instead use a major pharmaceuticals group to sell its marimastat cancer treatment. 14-Nov-1998

Wellcome Trust is waiting for government approval to build a science park on a greenfield site near its Hinxton Hall genetics research centre in Cambridge. 13-Nov-1998

Zeneca has put its speciality chemicals division up for sale in response to the sector's accelerating consolidation, and it could fetch more than £1bn. 13-Nov-1998

L'Oreal, the French cosmetics company, is planning to set up a UK headquarters in Hammersmith, London, by the middle of next year. 13-Nov-1998

PPL, the biotechnology company, is raising £20m in a rights issue in order to help fund the development of its most advanced product, the human protein alpha-1-antitrypsin. 12-Nov-1998

ICI is to stop producing solid reagent chemicals on Teesside and will sell the customer base to DuPont of the US for undisclosed terms. 11-Nov-1998

BP is to close its chemicals plant at Baglan Bay, near Port Talbot, with the loss of 250 jobs. 10-Nov-1998

BP is to spend £500m upgrading its UK petrochemical operations, and 225 jobs will be created at new plants in Grangemouth and Hull. 10-Nov-1998

Astra Charnwood is planning to build a new pharmaceutical laboratory in Loughborough, and up to 100 jobs will be created over the next three years. 09-Nov-1998

Bioglan Holdings is planning to raise £20m in a flotation in order to reduce debt, fund expansion into the US and Europe, and help it make acquisitions in dermatology and drug delivery. 09-Nov-1998

Laporte is looking to sell its hygiene chemicals business and has identified four potential bidders. 07-Nov-1998

ICI is investing £10m on a computerised control system at its Wilton cracker on Teesside, which is up for sale. 06-Nov-1998

Peptide Therapeutics has announced a collaboration with Eli Lilly of the US, in which they will undertake research into the disabling of harmful enzymes in the body. 06-Nov-1998

Shell is devising plans to further rationalise its chemicals business and to close more refineries. 06-Nov-1998

Phytopharm is linking up with Heska of the US to develop a number of its plant-based medicines. 05-Nov-1998

Zeneca is planning to cut 130 jobs over the next three years at its agrochemicals plant in Yalding, Kent. 04-Nov-1998

Holchem Laboratories is to move into a new building in Haslingden early next year in order to expand production of detergents and disinfectants for the food processing and brewing industries. 03-Nov-1998

Zeneca has won US approval to sell Nolvadex, the world's first drug to prevent cancer. 30-Oct-1998

Therapeutic Antibodies is raising £7.5m in a share placing and has also announced plans to register as a UK rather than a US company as most of its operations are based in the UK. 27-Oct-1998

Kvaerner Process has opened a £10m technology centre at Teesdale, Thornaby, which will focus on improving chemical manufacturing processes for its clients. 23-Oct-1998

Akcros Chemicals has awarded a £3.6m contract to Amec for the upgrading of its phosphite plant at Eccles, Manchester. 22-Oct-1998

Alizyme claims to have discovered a new compound for the treatment of obesity, and expects to begin clinical development next year. 22-Oct-1998

SmithKline Beecham is to invest £200m in the expansion of its drugs plant in Cork, Ireland, in order to meet rising demand for its Seroxat anti-depressant, and 320 jobs will be created. 21-Oct-1998

Skyepharma is planning to acquire DepoTech, the US biotechnology concern, for up to £33m. 20-Oct-1998

Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation of the US has acquired a 15% in Kalibrant in order to help the UK company commercialise a faster technique for analysing blood samples. 20-Oct-1998

Shell Chemicals and ICI Polyurethanes are forming a production and marketing alliance in rigid polyurethane foam. 17-Oct-1998

Zeneca is planning to expand its pharmaceutical headquarters in Alderley Park, Cheshire, with the creation of up to 300 jobs. 16-Oct-1998

ICI has announced that a deal to sell its Crosfield subsidiary to WR Grace for about £272m has collapsed due to regulatory issues in the US. 15-Oct-1998

Blagden Industries, the chemicals company, is in merger talks with a number of undisclosed companies. 14-Oct-1998

Air Products, the industrial gases company, has set up a new direct marketing and account management operation at the Crewe Business Park, employing 30 staff. 14-Oct-1998

Laporte, the chemicals company, is to reorganise its electronics division and cut 200 jobs, mainly in the US. 13-Oct-1998

Wellcome Trust is to set up a £20m fund called Catalyst Biomedica in order to develop university-based medical research into commercial projects. 13-Oct-1998

Galen, the Irish drugs company, has ended merger discussions with Ferring Pharmaceuticals of the Netherlands due to current market conditions. 13-Oct-1998

Chiroscience is to move into a new £14m facility at Granta Park in Cambridge in early 2000, and it will include offices and laboratories. 12-Oct-1998

Skyepharma is to collaborate with Sepracor of the US to develop a new treatment for asthma. 10-Oct-1998

Vanguard Medica has awarded North American distribution rights for its frovatriptan migraine drug to Elan of Ireland. 10-Oct-1998

SmithKline Beecham has won UK approval to use its best-selling Seroxat drug to treat people who suffer from social anxiety disorder. 09-Oct-1998

Shell Chemicals is planning to sell its PVC and VCM business operations to Shin-Etsu Chemical of Japan. 09-Oct-1998

Albright & Wilson is expected to cut 50 jobs at its Oldbury chemicals plant over the next two years, in order to improve competitiveness. 09-Oct-1998

SmithKline Beecham is to invest $50m in a new joint venture pharmaceuticals plant in north-eastern China, plus $25m in a plant in Shanghai. 08-Oct-1998

Unilever is to licence hair follicle research to Bristol-Myers Squibb of the US, and BMS will aim to develop a prescription compound to prevent hair loss. 07-Oct-1998

Zeneca is investing £18m at its Macclesfield site in order to produce a potential treatment for cancer. 06-Oct-1998

Pfizer, the US healthcare company, is planning to set up a European headquarters in Reigate which will employ 900 people. 03-Oct-1998

Oxagen has agreed a five-year research deal with Astra of Sweden to isolate drug targets linked with atherosclerosis. 02-Oct-1998

Zeneca is expected to announce up to 200 jobs losses at its Huddersfield factory due to the loss of a major contract to supply textile dyes to BASF. 02-Oct-1998

William Blythe is to cut up to 25 jobs at its chemical plants in East Lancashire due to the effect of the strong pound on exports. 02-Oct-1998

Glaxo Wellcome is facing an inquiry by the Dutch health ministry over the way it uses marketing bonus deals to encourage pharmacies to take its products, and the practice may be banned. 01-Oct-1998

Akzo Nobel is to close its newly-acquired Courtaulds Fibres factory in Coventry with the loss of up to 200 jobs, and the business will be transferred to Spondon in Derbyshire. 01-Oct-1998

Chiroscience claims to have discovered the gene the controls the autoimmune system, which could lead to the development of treatments for a wide range of diseases. 30-Sep-1998

Oxford Molecular is to acquire the remaining stake in Cambridge Combinatorial for £12m. 30-Sep-1998

Brent International is planning to sell its imaging business to a management team for £16m, in order to focus on surface coatings. 30-Sep-1998

SmithKline Beecham is buying a 65% stake in Europharm, the Romanian pharmaceuticals group, for £18m, and has an option over the remaining shares. 28-Sep-1998

Glaxo Wellcome has applied for regulatory approval to market its Relenza flu drug in Europe and Canada, following trials that show it to be effective in preventing and treating infection. 25-Sep-1998

Boots is to form a joint venture with Nicholas Piramal India to develop and market over-the-counter drugs in India. 24-Sep-1998

Oxford Glycosciences has been awarded a £16m five-year research contract by Pioneer Hi-Bred of the US that will involve identifying plant genes that improve the quality of seeds. 23-Sep-1998

Zeneca is to invest £50m in the development of new wheat varieties in collaboration with the John Innes Centre, and a new laboratory will be set up in Norwich. 17-Sep-1998

McBride is acquiring Vitherm, the French detergent maker, for £3.5m. 17-Sep-1998

W Canning is looking for a merger partner in order to help fund expansion, and meanwhile it is offering its additives division for sale. 17-Sep-1998

Courtaulds has started production at its new £120m factory in Grimsby, which will manufacture Tencel advanced fibre. 17-Sep-1998

Cortecs has announced that Laphal Laboratories of France will distribute its Macritonin osteoporosis treatment. 16-Sep-1998

Hammerite, the Northumberland-based paints maker, is to create a further 40 jobs over the next 12 months to cope with rising sales. 15-Sep-1998

Morgan Crucible is looking to sell its speciality materials division in order to focus on its core ceramics and carbon operations. 15-Sep-1998

The Technology Partnership is planning to build a £5m office and laboratory complex at the Melbourn Science Park in South Cambridgeshire, and is recruiting a further 60 people this year. 14-Sep-1998

GR Advanced Materials has completed a new £3m ink processing plant at its Stirling factory, which will produce more than 5,000 tonnes of ink per year. 14-Sep-1998

Albright & Wilson is to move more of its chemicals production outside the UK into regions such as Latin America and Asia in order to reduce costs. 10-Sep-1998

Kiotech is planning a joint venture with Imperial College for the commercial development of a breathalyser to diagnose illnesses. 10-Sep-1998

Glaxo Wellcome has won approval to sell its Seretide asthma treatment in Sweden, and approval for the rest of the EU should follow within 90 days. 08-Sep-1998

Burmah Castrol is considering plans to sell off non-core businesses in order to focus on lubricants and chemicals. 08-Sep-1998

Chiroscience is linking up with Maruishi Pharmaceutical for the development and marketing of its Chirocaine anaesthetic in Japan. 08-Sep-1998

Vanguard Medica has reached agreement with Roche for the development of the VML588 treatment for kidney failure and brain haemorrhage. 08-Sep-1998

Amoco's polypropylene weaving mill in County Durham is up for sale at £1.5m, following the recent decision to close the site with the loss of 260 jobs. 08-Sep-1998

Zeneca has completed the acquisition of the pharmaceuticals business of Orica, formerly ICI Australia, for £117m. 05-Sep-1998

Cambridge University scientists have developed an "alloy paint" which could revolutionise the way electronic equipment is made by enabling parts to be painted on an assembly line. 04-Sep-1998

The government's medical advisory committee has proposed measures that would see a reduction of up to 30% in the £220m of antibiotics prescribed by family doctors each year, and the use of antibiotics to promote animal growth would be stopped. 04-Sep-1998

Skyepharma is discussing the possible acquisition of companies and products in the US drug delivery sector, as it believes that they are currently undervalued. 03-Sep-1998

ICI is planning to base the headquarters for its new Synetix division on Teesside, and it will be responsible for running the following businesses - ICI Katalco, ICI Tracerco, and Vertec. 03-Sep-1998

Shield Diagnostics has won US regulatory approval to market its AFECTA test for the risk of cardiovascular disease. 02-Sep-1998

Therapeutic Antibodies, the biotechnology company, is hoping to raise £20m to support it until it becomes profitable, and is considering plans to move its headquarters from Tennessee to the UK. 02-Sep-1998

Zeneca is set to lose a multi-million-pound textile dyes contract from BASF, which could threaten jobs at its Huddersfield plant. 31-Aug-1998

Glaxo Wellcome has won US regulatory approval for its Lamictal epilepsy tablets. 28-Aug-1998

ICI is forming an alliance with Dongsung Chemical of South Korea, in which its National Starch subsidiary will take a 70% stake in Dongsung's footwear business and ICI Polyurethanes will link up with the shoe system division. 28-Aug-1998

Thanet district council in Kent is planning to attract manufacturers of automotive components and pharmaceuticals as part of a strategy to regenerate the area. 26-Aug-1998

Celltech has won US regulatory approval to market its Remicade treatment for Crohn's disease, and the product will be sold by the US biotechnology company Centocor. 26-Aug-1998

Kalon, the paint manufacturer, is planning to expand its chain of trade centres from 183 to 324 outlets by 2000, with most of these being in the UK. 26-Aug-1998

Zeneca is building a £2m pilot fermentation plant at its Billingham site that will act as trouble-shooting facility in the manufacture of drugs. 25-Aug-1998

BASF is planning to build a £10m acetonitrile plant at Seal Sands in a joint venture with BP Chemicals. 25-Aug-1998

Phytopharm has awarded marketing rights for its P57 plant-based appetite suppressing compound to Pfizer of the US, and will receive up to £19m in licensing fees and milestone payments. 25-Aug-1998

Glaxo Wellcome has won regulatory approval to market Zeffix, its oral treatment for chronic hepatitis B, in the Philippines. 21-Aug-1998

Proteus International is set to receive £390,000 from the Department of Health to set up a research laboratory in Leeds to develop a blood test for Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. 19-Aug-1998

Xenova, the bio-pharmaceutical group, is looking for ways to raise funds in order to stem ongoing losses. 14-Aug-1998

BOC, the industrial gases company, has announced a worldwide restructuring programme in order to save £120m a year, which will result in 3,700 job cuts including 500 in the UK. 12-Aug-1998

Ascot is acquiring a 30% stake in Chirotech Technology, the Chiroscience subsidiary, for £30m, in order to develop a partnership that can both develop and manufacture compounds for pharmaceutical companies. 11-Aug-1998

Production of Shire Pharmaceuticals' Arenol hyperactivity drug could be halted for up to 10 months following an explosion at a US factory. 07-Aug-1998

Glaxo Wellcome is to end its over-the-counter drugs marketing joint venture with Warner-Lambert, and will regain the rights for Zantac 75 in all markets outside North America. 04-Aug-1998

Glaxo Wellcome is planning to run TV campaigns in Europe to outline the diseases its products are used to treat, but it remains illegal to advertise these prescription drugs directly. 31-Jul-1998

Scotia is to set up a £2.5m manufacturing facility at its site on the island of Lewis, Scotland, to make Foscan, its anti-cancer drug. 29-Jul-1998

Oxford Asymmetry, the biotechnology company, has announced a three-year contract to supply Monsanto and a preliminary agreement to supply DuPont Agricultural Enterprise. 29-Jul-1998

ICI has issued a profits warning due to the strength of sterling, the Asian financial crisis and a downturn in bulk chemicals. 24-Jul-1998

PPL Therapeutics has reached agreement with ProBio America for the licensing of the Honolulu mouse-cloning technique, and aims to adapt it to clone pigs. 24-Jul-1998

Applied Extrusion Technologies of the US is to buy the European and Australian polypropylene film business of Montell, the plastics subsidiary of Shell, for $220m. 23-Jul-1998

Alizyme has announced a licensing agreement with SmithKline Beecham for the development of a new treatment for irritable bowel syndrome. 23-Jul-1998

Boots is buying a throat-care drug and an oral painkiller from Klosterfrau of Germany for almost £16m, and has also agreed a distribution deal in which Klosterfrau will act as Boots' agent in Germany. 22-Jul-1998

Weston Medical has agreed a deal with Hoffman-La Roche for its needle-free injection technology to be used with Hoffman's Pegasys treatment for hepatitis C. 21-Jul-1998

Zeneca has launched its Accolate oral preventative treatment for asthma into the UK market. 21-Jul-1998

Shire Pharmaceuticals has announced encouraging early results from trials of its galantamine treatment for Alzheimer's disease, indicating that it helps to slow memory loss. 20-Jul-1998

Skyepharma has raised £22m in a share placing in order to fund the acquisition of new drug technologies. 18-Jul-1998

Therapeutic Antibodies has announced that the US FDA has accepted a licence application for its new anti-venom product, and it hopes to win approval by next April. 14-Jul-1998

The government has announced a joint initiative with the Wellcome Trust to invest an extra £1.1bn in science and engineering research over the next three years, which will include the building of new university laboratories. 14-Jul-1998

The Chemical Industry Association is launching a new initiative called Confidence in Chemicals that will identify and restrict dangerous chemicals, in order to prevent the introduction of new EU legislation. 14-Jul-1998

Brent International is looking to sell its inks and coatings and imaging management businesses in order to focus on surface coatings, its most profitable division. 10-Jul-1998

PPL Therapeutics is looking for partners to help with the development of its alpha-1-antitrypsin treatment for cystic fibrosis, and the results of phase II trials are expected by the end of the year. 09-Jul-1998

Kiotech International is planning to launch the world's first drug that works through smell, and is starting clinical trials for odour treatments for anxiety and sleeping disorders. 06-Jul-1998

ICI has extended the deadline for the completion of the sale of its Tioxide business to DuPont by six months to the end of December, due to an investigation by the US Federal Trade Commission. 01-Jul-1998

Oxford Molecular is to invest £2.5m in MicroGenics, a new company set up to develop screening systems for antibiotics. 29-Jun-1998

Meconic, the pharmaceutical chemicals manufacturer, has received a number of takeover approaches for its Phoenix Chemicals subsidiary, but it has no plans to sell the business. 27-Jun-1998

Glaxo Wellcome has submitted abacavir, its new Aids drug, for regulatory approval in North America and Europe. 26-Jun-1998

ML Laboratories hopes to start selling its Icodial renal dialysis treatment in the US by 2000, as its licensee Baxter Healthcare is applying for US marketing approval. 25-Jun-1998

Galen Holdings of Ireland is discussing plans for a reverse takeover by Ferring, the Dutch pharmaceuticals concern, which would give it access to Ferring's international sales network. 24-Jun-1998

SmithKline Beecham is planning to sell its Bencard Allergy business to management for £20m. 22-Jun-1998

Phytopharm is in negotiations to licence its drugs to a number of multinational companies, and interest is said to focus on its P45 treatment for baldness and its P54 treatment for osteoarthritis. 18-Jun-1998

Proteus International is in discussions to licence a potential treatment for the prevention of blood clots, having isolated inhibitors of the Factor 10a enzyme. 18-Jun-1998

British Vita is increasing its stake in Spartech, the US thermoplastics company, by 11% to 43.5% at a cost of £39m. 16-Jun-1998

Alliance UniChem has offered to buy the remaining 60% of Safa Galencia, its Spanish affiliate, for up to £23m in order to expand its European drugs wholesaling business. 13-Jun-1998

GW Pharmaceuticals has been awarded the first government licence to test the use of cannabis as a medicine, and hopes to win approval to sell it within four years. 12-Jun-1998

PowderJect Pharmaceuticals has announced the formation of partnerships with Zeneca and an unnamed Japanese company to collaborate on the development of its painless injection system. 09-Jun-1998

Goldshield, the pharmaceuticals company, has confirmed plans for a flotation that will value it at £58m and raise £5.2m. 05-Jun-1998

ICI has announced that the sale of its Crosfield catalyst business to WR Grace is being delayed by an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission in the US, and the deal may not now be completed until the third quarter of this year. 05-Jun-1998

SmithKline Beecham is to restructure its UK pharmaceuticals business at Welwyn Garden City, which could result in a move to new offices in Brentford and the loss of 123 jobs. 05-Jun-1998

Skyepharma is to raise up to £31m in a share offering on Nasdaq in order to expand its drugs R&D programme and to benefit from the higher rating it expects its shares to receive in the US. 04-Jun-1998

Cortecs is setting up a new company called Oratol in order to develop remedies for allergies and auto-immune diseases. 04-Jun-1998

Medeva has had its AD32 drug rejected by the US FDA as a treatment for some forms of bladder cancer. 03-Jun-1998

Pfizer, the US pharmaceuticals company, is planning to build a £50m European headquarters near Reigate, employing 900 people. 01-Jun-1998

ICI is planning to invest £100m in a joint venture with BASF to build a £390m polyurethane plant near Shanghai, due to open by 2004. 01-Jun-1998

The UK chemical industry is said to be facing further consolidation as the launch of the Euro and the strength of sterling will prompt more acquisitions, according to a report from Dresdner Kleinwort Benson. 25-May-1998

Biocompatibles International is to raise £49m in a share placing in order to fund the development of coatings that prevent the biological rejection of medical products, and has also awarded Boston Scientific of the US exclusive rights to use the coatings for synthetic grafts. 23-May-1998

Therapeutic Antibodies is to collaborate with GD Searle in the development of an antibody-based drug, and any future revenues will be shared between the two companies. 22-May-1998

Celltech is hoping to file its CMA 676 bone marrow cancer drug for regulatory approval in the US in early 1999, following encouraging preliminary tests. 19-May-1998

Goldshield, the medicines and vitamins company, is to raise £6m in a flotation next month, in order to make product acquisitions and expand its sales network into continental Europe. 19-May-1998

The US Federal Trade Commission is understood to be seeking a third-party sale for at least one of Tioxide's titanium dioxide plants in Europe, before it will approve DuPont's $750m acquisition of Tioxide from ICI. 18-May-1998

Cortecs has agreed a £8m deal with Glaxo Wellcome for the marketing of its Macritonin osteoporosis drug in Greece, and is said to be in discussions with a number of other companies to licence the drug in other European countries. 18-May-1998

The Wellcome Trust charity is to spend £110m over the next seven years to join the race to unravel the entire human genetic code, as it is concerned about the commercial sector filing patents on DNA sequences. 14-May-1998

SmithKline Beecham has decided not to proceed with plans to sell a new migraine treatment that has been developed by Vanguard Medica, and Vanguard is now looking for another marketing partner for the drug. 14-May-1998

Mitsubishi Chemical is to provide funding for a new Genetic Therapies Centre at Imperial College, London. 13-May-1998

BOC, the industrial gases concern, is planning a range of cost-cutting measures following a fall in profits, but is still looking for acquisitions in specialist markets such as bottled gases. 13-May-1998

The European Parliament has approved measures to bring European biotechnology patent laws into line with those in Japan and the US, despite opposition from environmental and other groups. 13-May-1998

Akzo Nobel's £1.8bn takeover of Courtaulds could be under threat from a new approach by PPG International of the US, and a bidding war could develop. 12-May-1998

The government is to press ahead with plans to abolish price-fixing in over-the-counter medicines, prompting fears among some small pharmacists that they could be forced out of business. 09-May-1998

Phytopharm is to begin human trials for a curcuma-based anti-arthritis drug, and hopes to win full UK approval by 2002. 07-May-1998

SmithKline Beecham has agreed a $200,000 contract with the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology for research into medicinal chemistry. 04-May-1998

Chiroscience has applied to the US FDA for permission to market its Chirocaine local anaesthetic, and a ruling is expected within a year. 30-Apr-1998

Peptide Therapeutics has awarded Pasteur Merieux OraVax of the US an exclusive option on a worldwide licence for an oral delivery anti-ulcer vaccine, and the US company will pay the full cost of development. 29-Apr-1998

UK pharmaceutical exports reached a record £5.5bn last year, and drugs company investment in R&D reached £2.2bn, according to the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry. 28-Apr-1998

The Standing Medical Advisory Committee is expected to issue tough guidelines in July to restrict the use of antibiotics to conditions for which they are absolutely necessary, in order to prevent serious diseases from becoming increasingly resistant to them. 24-Apr-1998

Unilever is looking to sell Plant Breeding International Cambridge, which could attract interest from a number of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. 24-Apr-1998

Elan Corporation of Ireland is acquiring Carnrick Laboratories of the US from GWR Health for $150m. 23-Apr-1998

Proteus International is raising £7.6m in a rights issue to fund the development of its vaccine against high blood pressure and to fund trials of asthma and blood clotting products. 23-Apr-1998

PPL Therapeutics is developing a treatment to enable chronically underweight people to gain weight using an enzyme called BSSL, in conjunction with Astra of Sweden. 21-Apr-1998

Glaxo Wellcome is developing a new treatment for hepatitis B called the lamivudine oral anti-viral treatment. 17-Apr-1998

Electrophoretics International is to offer the first commercial testing service for Creutzfeld Jacobs disease, but it will only be available to specialist hospital consultants. 16-Apr-1998

Biocompatibles International is considering a rights issue to provide funding for the commercialisation of its stents, and is also looking at the possibility of licensing the development of some applications of its coatings. 15-Apr-1998

Skyepharma is considering plans to raise its profile with US investors through a share placing of about £15m, and would use the proceeds to acquire companies to increase its range of drug delivery methods. 15-Apr-1998

SmithKline Beecham has expressed confidence in its future as an independent company following the recent collapse of merger talks with Glaxo Wellcome, and has outlined plans for new treatments for diabetes, osteoporosis, asthma, anxiety, and the narrowing of coronary arteries. 15-Apr-1998

The Roslin Institute in Scotland has set up a new biotechnology company called Roslin Bio-Med to commercialise its nuclear transfer cloning technology. 09-Apr-1998

Watts Blake Bearne is looking to expand its ceramic clays business into Brazil, China and eastern Europe, through joint ventures and acquisitions. 08-Apr-1998

Oxford Glycosciences is to raise £30m in a flotation, and some of the shares will go to Pzifer and Incyte Pharmaceuticals of the US. 08-Apr-1998

Yorkshire Group is looking to invest up to £100m in the creation of a global dyes business, and is seeking acquisitions and joint venture partners in the US and Asia. 07-Apr-1998

Oxford Glycosciences has reached agreement to conduct research into Alzheimers disease on behalf of Pfizer, and will receive up to £30m in payments including royalties on any new drugs that result. 06-Apr-1998

Akzo Nobel of the Netherlands is said to be planning a bid for Courtaulds in order to create the largest paints group in the world. 03-Apr-1998

Peptide Therapeutics has been given the go-ahead from the US FDA to run a series of tests on its oral typhoid vaccine, that should enable the vaccine to reach the market in 2001, two years ahead of schedule. 03-Apr-1998

Glaxo Wellcome's Spanish subsidiary is under attack from a group of local wholesale distributors over claims that it has a policy of setting different prices for exports as it sets for the domestic market. 03-Apr-1998

Chiroscience has announced a deal in which Zeneca will commercialise its Chirocaine anaesthetic, which should generate at least £200m of additional revenue for Chiroscience. 01-Apr-1998

ACM Wood Chemicals of Greece is said to be planning a flotation in London in order to fund the construction of factories and Greece and Australia to make additives for resins used in wood board production. 30-Mar-1998

ICI is acquiring most of the European home improvements business of Williams for £350m, as part of a strategy to focus on specialist chemical products and consumer goods. 27-Mar-1998

Brunner Mond, the soda ash producer, has received a takeover approach from an unnamed company thought to be FMC of the US. 25-Mar-1998

KS Biomedix is raising £6m in a share placing to fund its biotechnology development work over the next two years. 25-Mar-1998

Croda is in discussions over the sale of its industrial paints business, which is thought to be worth about £40m. 25-Mar-1998

Courtaulds has bought a South African protective coatings business from Plascon. 24-Mar-1998

BP is looking to buy the remaining 80% of ICI's petrochemical plant at Wilton, although ICI is also thought to be negotiating with other companies who may be interested in buying both the cracker and associated product plants. 23-Mar-1998

Scotia has raised £50m in a share placing in order to fund the development of a number of key projects, including photodynamic therapy, a cancer treatment and the Olibra food ingredient. 23-Mar-1998

Astra of Sweden is considering plans to move some of its drugs research activities into the UK and the US due to high taxes and a shortage of scientists in Sweden. 23-Mar-1998

Therapeutic Antibodies is planning to raise £20m to fund its progress until it becomes profitable, and later this year expects to apply for US approval to sell two new drugs for malaria and viper bites. 20-Mar-1998

Glaxo Wellcome has won European approval to sell its Combivir Aids drug, which reduces the number of tablets a patient has to take each day. 19-Mar-1998

Vanguard Medica has awarded European and Latin American marketing rights for its VML 262 treatment for psoriasis to Stiefel Laboratories of the US, and is planning to sign a partner for the US market after phase II trials in the autumn. 17-Mar-1998

Glaxo Wellcome has agreed a deal with Boehringer Ingelheim of Germany to jointly develop and market BI's telmisartan drug for high blood pressure. 14-Mar-1998

Skyepharma is planning to list its shares in New York by July, and has also announced a deal with Astra of Sweden to develop new drug formulations. 13-Mar-1998

Cortecs has announced encouraging phase II trials for its Pseudostat chronic bronchitis vaccine, and hopes it will be ready for sale by 2000. 11-Mar-1998

Oxford Asymmetry, the biotechnology company, has raised £18m in a share placing that will enable it to invest in new staff, premises and technology. 11-Mar-1998

Laporte is looking to acquire speciality chemical companies with leading market shares, and has funds of about £130m. 10-Mar-1998

The Ministry of Defence is to set up a science park for biotechnology companies at the Porton Down germ warfare research centre near Salisbury, as part of a strategy to increase technology transfer with industry. 09-Mar-1998

ICI's planned sale of its remaining industrial chemicals operations is said to have attracted interest from BP and Huntsman Chemicals, with BP interested in petrochemical cracking and Huntsman interested in bulk chemicals. 09-Mar-1998

Elementis, the chemicals company formerly known as Harrisons & Crosfield, is to focus on two divisions - colourants and additives and chrome chemicals - and has ruled out any further large acquisitions this year. 06-Mar-1998

Government plans to do away with price-fixing in over-the-counter medicines have been hit by a defeat in the House of Lords that could mean that the Office of Fair Trading will have to delay its legal challenge until 2004. 06-Mar-1998

Powderject Pharmaceuticals has agreed to collaborate with Glaxo Wellcome on the development of DNA vaccines, and it could receive up to £180m in licence and milestone payments over the next 5-10 years. 05-Mar-1998

Inspec is looking to sell its ethylene oxide/glycol business in order to focus on speciality chemicals. 04-Mar-1998

Chiroscience is setting up a new subsidiary called Rapigene to market its DNA analysis technology, and expects sales of up to £24m within five years. 04-Mar-1998

Oxford Biomedica is planning to raise £6m in a rights issue, and plans to begin clinical trials on two cancer drugs this year. 27-Feb-1998

Seton Healthcare is to buy SmithKline Beecham's Resolve cure for hangovers and indigestion for £4.75m, including the trademark, plant, machinery and stock. 26-Feb-1998

Courtaulds is planning to sell off its polymers division for up to £300m and split the remaining business into two - fibres and coatings - with each having a separate stock market listing. 26-Feb-1998

Scotia has dropped plans to launch its Amelorad treatment for radiotherapy burns as the European Medicines Evaluation Agency has said there is insufficient evidence that it works. 25-Feb-1998

Skyepharma has announced that the US FDA is to consider an application for the launch of a new slow-release formulation for its Paxil anti-depressant. 25-Feb-1998

Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham have called off their merger discussions having failed to agree on the management structure of the combined group. 24-Feb-1998

Core Group, the drug delivery company, has been forced to delay the introduction of its morphine suppository as further studies have been demanded by regulators. 21-Feb-1998

Quadrant Healthcare, the drug delivery company, has raised £20m in a share placing, £10m short of its target, and it will join the stock market on February 27. 20-Feb-1998

Xenova has reached agreement with Eli Lilly to develop drugs that reduce the risk of blood clots, and will receive research funding, licence fees and milestone payments from the US company. 19-Feb-1998

SmithKline Beecham and Glaxo Wellcome are planning to announce details of their £100bn merger next month. 18-Feb-1998

Skyepharma has raised about £10m in a debentures placing in the US, which will enable it to complete a French factory and fund its drugs development programme until March 1999. 17-Feb-1998

Oxford Asymmetry International has announced a £9m deal that will enable it to use Bayer's proprietary chemicals as building blocks to produce new chemicals that may have medical potential. 17-Feb-1998

Therexsys, the gene therapy company, is to change its name to Cobra Therapeutics following the acquisition of Birmingham University-based Cobra Biosciences. 16-Feb-1998

Oxford GlycoSciences, the biotechnology concern, is planning to raise about £15m in a flotation to help fund its drugs research programme. 13-Feb-1998

Glaxo Wellcome is buying a number of Aids drugs from HMR and Bayer of Germany for an initial undisclosed payment and royalty fees. 13-Feb-1998

Glaxo Wellcome has won US FDA approval for its naratriptan migraine drug, and it will be sold under the Amerge brand name. 12-Feb-1998

Chiroscience is linking up with Bristol-Myers Squibb of the US to develop cancer drugs, with BMS contributing to the costs of Chiroscience's technology. 12-Feb-1998

Powderject Pharmaceuticals has won FDA approval to begin clinical trials in the US on its technique for painlessly injecting anaesthetic. 11-Feb-1998

LJ Specialities of Japan is to build a chemical dyestuffs plant in Chesterfield, creating 20 jobs. 09-Feb-1998

BOC Gases is planning to build a £40m gas plant at Margam in South Wales, in order to supply oxygen to British Steel's steel products plant at Port Talbot. 07-Feb-1998

British Biotech has announced it will have to wait at least another year until it can launch its Zacutex treatment for acute pancreatitis, as it has to complete phase III trials before the European Medicines Evaluation Authority will consider it. 06-Feb-1998

ICI has sold its polypropylene films business to UCB of Belgium for an estimated £25m, and the addition of the plants in Dumfries and Ghent will make UCB the fourth largest producer in Europe. 05-Feb-1998

Zeneca has been granted a US patent until 2015 for a new formulation of its Diprivan anaesthetic that is designed to cut the risk of accidental contamination of the drug. 04-Feb-1998

Cortecs has obtained positive results from clinical tests for its Macritonin oral treatment for osteoporosis, and is already in discussions with large drug companies about distribution deals. 04-Feb-1998

KS Biomedix has announced encouraging results from trials of its CBF-BS2 rheumatoid arthritis drug, and is now looking for a marketing partner. 04-Feb-1998

Quadrant Healthcare is planning to raise £30m in a flotation for the development of its drug delivery system based on sugars found in desert plants. 31-Jan-1998

Courtaulds, in collaboration with Nippon Paint Marine Coatings of Japan, has developed a new anti-fouling marine paint that does not cause damage to marine life. 28-Jan-1998

Roche is planning a £120m upgrade of its vitamin C plant in Ayrshire to utilise the latest technology and extend the life of the plant. 27-Jan-1998

Oxford Biomedica is to undertake joint research into gene therapy with Rhone-Poulenc Rorer of the US, and hopes to reach similar agreements with other US companies. 27-Jan-1998

Shield Diagnostics has announced a licensing agreement with Abbott Laboratories of the US which will involve Abbott using Shield's heart disease predictor test. 24-Jan-1998

ICI is considering the introduction of pan-European paint brands in order to benefit from European monetary union. 22-Jan-1998

Oxford Asymmetry, the speciality chemicals company, is planning a flotation in order to raise £20m to invest in laboratories, technology and new staff. 20-Jan-1998

Reckitt & Colman is to open a factory in China to make Dettol antiseptic and Pif Paf insecticides. 20-Jan-1998

Scotia has won approval for new versions of its treatments for eczema and mastalgia, which allow patients to take one spoonful a day instead of a number of capsules. 20-Jan-1998

The government has decided not to intervene in the hostile takeover bid by Hercules of the US for Allied Colloids, and the UK chemicals company has issued its final defence document pointing to strong profits forecasts and planned capacity increases. 17-Jan-1998

BOC, the industrial gases group, has won shareholder approval to use the proceeds from the planned sale of its Ohmeda healthcare business to buy back shares, and negotiations for the sale are now at an advanced stage. 17-Jan-1998

SmithKline Beecham is discussing a tie-up with American Home Products, probably in consumer medicines. 17-Jan-1998

Xenova is to collaborate with the Institute of Grassland Research in Aberystwyth to identify chemical compounds in plants that can be used against disease. 16-Jan-1998

KS Biomedix has announced that its work on sheep monoclonal antibodies will go into phase II clinical trials within a year. 15-Jan-1998

UK chemical production fell 0.2% in 1997, due to a 1.5% fall in the contribution from pharmaceuticals, according to a conference of the Chemical Industries Association. 15-Jan-1998

Yule Catto has taken control of Holliday Chemical having received 76% acceptances from shareholders following last month's £256m recommended bid. 10-Jan-1998

SmithKline Beecham has settled a patent dispute with Lek, which will allow the Slovenian drug company to sell a version of SmithKline's Augmentin antibiotic throughout Europe from 2000. 10-Jan-1998

Celsis International has reached agreement to licence its adenylate kinase assay technology for the screening of pharmaceutical and other products to the government's Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. 09-Jan-1998

Seton Healthcare has bought three over-the-counter pharmaceutical products from Whitehall Laboratories for £3.65m, including Anbesol, Compound W, and Relaxyl. 09-Jan-1998

Courtaulds has ended a four-year dispute with Lenzing of Austria over the rights to the Lyocell man-made fabric, with the two companies agreeing to share all relevant intellectual property although they will not co-operate on manufacturing know-how or on commercial issues. 08-Jan-1998

Celltech has sold the remaining 25% stake in its Biologicals manufacturing arm to Alusuisse-Lonza of Switzerland for £10.5m, enabling it to focus on drug development. 07-Jan-1998

Quadrant Healthcare, the biotechnology company, is planning a flotation in order to raise £30m to expand its inhaler research team and to take some products through clinical trials. 07-Jan-1998

Peptide Therapeutics has awarded an exclusive option on a worldwide licence for a veterinary allergy vaccine to Pfizer of the US. 06-Jan-1998

Zeneca is planning a £11m investment in the expansion of facilities to produce its Zomig migraine treatment, and a new plant will open in Macclesfield early next year. 06-Jan-1998

MA Hanna, the US speciality chemicals concern, is looking to acquire European companies in preparation for the introduction of the single currency, and aims to double its non-US sales to about $1bn. 05-Jan-1998







The information below comes from the UK Activity Report.
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