This week has seen the World Health Organization officially declare the start of the 2009 ’swine flu’ (Influenza A H1N1) pandemic with nearly 30,000 cases having been confirmed in 74 different countries - over 900 of which were in the UK.

‘We are in the earliest days of the pandemic. The virus is spreading under a close and careful watch. No previous pandemic has been detected so early or watched so closely, in real-time, right at the very beginning. The world can now reap the benefits of investments, over the last five years, in pandemic preparedness,’ said Margaret Chan, director general of the WHO.

‘We have a head start. This places us in a strong position. But it also creates a demand for advice and reassurance in the midst of limited data and considerable scientific uncertainty.’

Novartis has said that it has said it has completed its first batch vaccine, weeks ahead of expectations, because its cell-based manufacturing technology allows production to be started as soon as a strain is identified without the need to adapt the virus strain to grow in eggs, as is the case when using traditional vaccine production methods.

PHARMACEUTICALS

GSK allies to develop vaccines in China

UK drug giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is forming a joint venture with Chinese vaccine expert Shenzhen Neptunus Interlong Biotech to ‘enable GSK to build new vaccines capability in a critical emerging market such as China.’

‘The new Joint Venture will combine the potential of GSK’s adjuvant technology and expertise in vaccine development together with the extensive experience of Shenzhen Neptunus in the Chinese vaccines market. Together we will gain access to specific local influenza antigens and make available new vaccines to benefit public health in China and neighbouring territories,’ says Jean Stephenne, president of GSK Biologicals.

GSK will take a 40 per cent stake in the joint venture while Shenzen Neptunus will take the remaining 60 per cent.

Meanwhile, GSK’s corporate venture fund SR One has taken part in a $32 million (£19.5 million) funding round in US biotech firm Alios BioPharma. SR One’s $8 million investment is joining investments made by Novo A/S, Novartis Venture Fund and Roche Venture Fund in order to help Alios develop ‘novel therapies for a variety of serious and life threatening viral infections’.

Pfizer excited about arthritis drug results

The worlds largest pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, is taking its orally-available rheumatoid arthritis drug CP-690,550 into Phase III trials after recent results indicated that it could provide a cost-efficient and convenient alternative to costly biological anti-TNF (tumour necrosis factor) drugs. According to industry analyst, Sylvia Miriyam Findlay from Frost & Sullivan, the market for rheumatoid arthritis treatments was worth some $36 billion in 2006.

The results of the two Phase II trials indicate the JAK-3 inhibitor ‘could represent a promising advance in rheumatoid arthritis treatment for patients who need an alternative to currently available therapies,’ says Michael Berelowitz, senior vice president of clinical development and medical affairs for Pfizer Specialty Care.

The trial results showed that three quarters of patients showed at least a 20 per cent improvement in their condition after 12 weeks of treatment with a quarter experiencing a 70 per cent improvement. While these results were better than for patients given Abbott’s anti-TNF drug Humira (adalimumab), it is well documented that Humira works better when taken in combination with methotrexate.

INDUSTRY

Lanxess goes shopping in Asia

German chemical firm Lanxess is acquiring the chemical business of Gwalior chemical industries for €82.4 million (£70 million) and the assets of Chinese firm Jiangsu Polyols Chemical Company for an undisclosed amount.

‘These acquisitions in India and China are further milestones in our company’s long-term growth strategy in the BRIC countries,” said Axel Heitmann, chairman of Lanxess. ‘Gwalior’s business complements the portfolio of our Basic Chemicals business unit and our first acquisition in India will strengthen our production base in this exciting market.’

Gwalior is one of the largest Indian producers of benzyl products and a leading global producer of sulfur chlorides for the agrochemical, pharmaceutical and flavour and fragrance industries. Jingsu Polyols produces trimethylpropane (TMP) - a chemical used in lubricants, paints and coatings.

F3 factory to provide competitive advantage in Europe

The European Union (EU) and European chemicals industry are teaming up to introduce faster, more flexible and environmentally friendly chemical production plants that will help reduce the capital costs of new or retrofitted plants that can be efficiently modified to cope with fluctuating demand. The F3 (Flexible Fast Future) Factory is being coordinated by Bayer Technology Services, which aims to develop modular continuous plants that standardise processes and their interfaces to increase the efficiency and scalability of chemical plants.

‘Innovative concepts of process intensification enormously increase energy and resource efficiencies. This leads to a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly manufacture of existing bulk and fine chemicals as well as to entirely new products with elevated added value,’ said Herbert von Bose, director of Industrial Technologies, Directorate G of the European Commission Directorate-General for Research.

‘According to calculations of the consortium, the European chemical industry could reduce costs by about €3.75 billion just by switching existing production facilities over to the F3 Factory concept – while opening up new markets in the meantime.’

Investigators head to explosion at ConAgra

The US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has sent an investigation team to the site of an explosion, fire and roof collapse at the ConAgra Foods plant in Garner, North Carolina. According to the agency, at least 20 people have been sent to hospital and at least two people remain unaccounted for.

Huntsman to build Europe’s ‘most competitive’ pigment manufacturing operation

US chemicals company Huntsman has announced plans to develop a new fertiliser manufacturing operation at the division’s titanium dioxide (TiO2) pigments manufacturing plant site in Calais, France. The operation of the new fertiliser plant would use all of the spent acid from the company’s pigment manufacturing operations in Calais and enable the permanent closure of the Calais Effluent Treat Plant (ETP).

‘These actions, combined with other planned operational improvements, would significantly improve the cost base of the Calais Site, enabling the site to become one of the most competitive and robust pigment manufacturing operations in Europe,’ said Scott Anderson, Huntsman Pigments’ vice president for Manufacturing and Technology.

AGROCHEMCIALS

Monsanto and BASF discover drought-resistance gene

Scientists from Monsanto and BASF have discovered a naturally-occurring gene that can help corn plants combat drought conditions and help deliver stable yields even during periods of inadequate watering.

The companies have said they will use the gene, cspB, in their first-generation drought-tolerant corn product and hope to bring the product to market as early as 2012 if regulatory approval is gained.

‘BASF and Monsanto’s drought-tolerant corn is the first result of our plant biotechnology collaboration of which I am very proud,” said Jürgen Schweden, senior vice president of R&D at BASF Plant Science. ‘With our complementing technologies, we are able to bring more and better products to farmers faster.’

Syngenta buys Circle One

Syngenta is buying US-based Circle One Global to add its Afla-Guard antitoxin crop protection technology to its portfolio. Afla-Guard reduces the formation of aflatoxin, which can develop in crops such as corn and peanuts when they are exposed to heat and drought stress. According to the firm, aflatoxin contamination costs US corn and peanut farmers more than $200 million each year.

The product contains a naturally-occurring, non-toxic fungus that reduces the development of the fungi that produce aflatoxin by out-competing them.

‘Food security and quality are high on the agenda of the food chain and consumers. This new, sustainable technology can dramatically increase usable yield, protect growers’ investments in crop production, and may allow for the re-introduction of corn to parts of the southern US where aflatoxin has prevented its cultivation for many years,’ said Valdemar Fischer, president of Syngenta Crop Protection, North America.

Matt Wilkinson