Specialities roundup

Degussa recently secured approval from the Indonesian government to expand its hydrogen peroxide plant in Bekasi, West Java, with an investment of up to US$12.5m. A source at the country’s Investment Coordinating Board said Degussa Peroxide Indonesia would expand its capacity by 30 000 tonne/year. Degussa acquired the 10 000 tonne/year plant from Risjad Brasali Industries early this year.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) said it had agreed to pay Euro453m (US$548m) for the rights to Sanofi-Synthelabo’s injectable anti-thrombotic drugs Fraxiparine and Arixtra. Sanofi-Synthelabo put its interests in the drugs up for sale after unveiling a hostile takeover bid for Franco-German life sciences group Aventis. The deal with GSK is conditional upon the completion of Sanofi’s takeover of Aventis.

Rhodia said it would close its loss-making carboxylation plant in Leuna, eastern Germany, at the end of September with the loss of almost 20 jobs.

BASF Shanghai Coatings has been chosen as the lead supplier of automotive coatings to Nissan in China. It will supply primers, basecoats, and clearcoats for car bodies and bumpers to Nissan’s new plant in Huadu, Guangdong province. Nissan and Dongfeng Motor Corp operate the plant through a joint venture.

Lyondell Chemical said it would integrate fully Millennium Chemicals’ acetyls business, operate Millennium’s titanium dioxide business as a separate unit and ‘evaluate options’, including sale, for Millennium’s Flavors & Fragrances unit. Lyondell and Millennium announced their plans for a US$2.3bn merger on 29 March.

Celanese Chemicals said it would increase US and Canada off-list selling prices for solvent products methyl ethyl ketone and methyl isobutyl ketone by US$88.16/tonne effective 1 May or as contracts allowed.

DuPont will reduce its global workforce by 6% or 3500 employees and eliminate 450 contractor positions by 31 December as part of its US$900m cost-reduction plan. DuPont said it expected to save US$325m from the action.

Lonza has filed a lawsuit in a US court concerning an alleged violation of its nutrient L-Carnitine patent by Nutraceutical International Corporation.

Bayer has received a subpoena from the US Department of Defence (DoD) regarding its cholesterol drug Lipobay/Baycol, which the company recalled in 2001. According to preliminary conversations Bayer had with the US Justice Department, the subpoena could be part of a joint DoD /Food and Drug Administration investigation relating to cerivastatin, or Lipobay/Baycol, the company said.