Business in Brief

05 January 2004 00:00  [Source: ICB Americas]

US Bans Ephedra

The US government has banned the sale of ephedra, the herbal weight loss supplement, after an extensive study involving more than 16,000 reports of adverse health effects from products containing ephedra. The ban is the first ever on a dietary supplement.

Daiichi to Get Vitamin B2 Unit From Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi Pharma will transfer its vitamin B2 business to Daiichi Fine Chemical on April 1, 2004. The move will expand Daiichi's vitamins business while enabling Mitsubishi to focus on its resources on ethical drugs.

Crompton Gets Amnesty

Competition authorities in the US, Canada and the European Union are giving Crompton Corp. conditional amnesty from criminal prosecution and fines in return for cooperating with an investigation into possible anticompetitive activities by manufacturers of nitrile rubber.

DuPont, Kansai End Coatings Joint Ventures

DuPont and Kansai Paint Ltd. have agreed to end three joint ventures in automotive coatings due to incompatible global strategies. The joint ventures, which were formed in the 1990s, have supplied coatings to the North American and UK operations of Japanese auto companies.

Schenectady Canada Buys Chemirco Chemicals

Schenectady Canada Ltd., an affiliate of privately owned Schenectady, N.Y.-based Schenectady International Inc., has acquired Chemirco Chemicals Inc., headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Chemirco is a maker of coatings and alkyd resins sold primarily to the paint manufacturing industry in North America.

Nova Improves EPS Plant

Nova Chemicals Corp. is upgrading the expandable polystyrene (EPS) feedstock used at its plant in Beaver Valley, Pa. The move will enable the plant to produce better lower-pentane grades and optimize its line of EPS products.

ChemDesign To Produce Polyester Resins

ChemDesign is offering a full line of ChemDiol urethane-grade polyester resins for polyurethane coatings, adhesives, elastomers, sealants and foams. The company will assist customers with the design, development and manufacture of custom and proprietary resins and resin derivatives.

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