Campaigners win fight to reform UK libel laws
New bill will protect scientists and journalists from vexatious suits when highlighting concerns with scientific evidence

                  

— Carl Djerassi

He is someone we’ve mentioned before in this blog as I selected him for the My Hero series but of course he is best  known as the father of the contraceptive pill. He is also an accomplished and prolific writer, who’s published, among other works, nine plays, five novels and an autobiography.

I was lucky enough to be invited to a dramatic reading of Insufficiency last night at the chemistry department, University of Cambridge, UK. It is a play that deals with actual (rather than invented) chemistry – the science of ‘bubbleology’ as applied to champagne and beer bubbles – and where, rather refreshingly,  ’chemists play key roles as chemists rather than as the proverbial nerds or Frankensteins’. According to the author, ‘even the terrain itself, locationally as well as thematically, is chemical’.

Chemists everywhere will very much enjoy the book as it dramatises issues from the world of academia that many of us will recognise and identify with. Djerassi addressed the audience ahead of the reading to encourage reflection around the tribal nature of a scientist’s behaviour and also to advise that the book has been conceived to be used primarily as reading material — as texts to be read alone or in dramatic readings — rather than emphasising performances on the stage.

The play will be premiered in September in London and those attending Euchems in Prague at the end of August will be glad to know that the play will be part of the cultural programme.

We’ve already sent the book to be reviewed for our Reviews section so keep an eye on the website. If you are interested in what our reviewers have said about some of his earlier work you can read it here and here.

Bibiana Campos-Seijo

                  

GSK goes to shareholders with HGS bid – BASF invests in omega-3 – And Abbott hit with $1.5bn Depakote fine

CHEMICAL – Fertiliser firm EuroChem has signed a deal to buy the nitrogen fertiliser business of German agrichemical giant K+S for €140 million (£110 million). In the 2011 financial year, K+S Nitrogen generated sales of €1.2 billion. The business is based in Mannheim, Germany, and employs about 180 people.

PHARMACEUTICAL – GSK has turned hostile in its $2.6 billion (£1.6 billion) bid for Human Genome Sciences (HGS). It has turned down the opportunity to participate in the ‘strategic alternatives review’ established by HGS and has instead taken its offer directly to the shareholders. The two companies have worked together for over 20 years on several products, including the development of Benlysta (benlimumab) products, the first new treatment for lupus erythematosus in half a century. GSK insists that ‘now is the appropriate time in the evolution of the GSK–HGS relationship for the companies to combine and that GSK is uniquely positioned to deliver on the promises of benlimumab, albiglutide and darapladib.  Benlimumab, a monoclonal antibody, was approved by US authorities in March 2011, and analysts are predicting peak sales of $3–7 million per year.

CHEMICAL – BASF has bought UK company Equateq, which specialises in manufacturing omega-3 fatty acids for pharmaceuticals and dietary supplements. Equateq has a production site on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland with 47 employees. All Equateq employees will be integrated into the pharma ingredients and services business at BASF, part of the nutrition and health division. The companies have agreed not to disclose financial details of the transaction. Equateq uses chromatography to separate omega-3 fatty acids at exceptional purity levels.

PHARMACEUTICAL – The US Department of Justice has hit pharma giant Abbott with a $1.5 billion payment to settle claims of illegal promotion of Depakote (valproate semisodium) products. Valproate semisodium is a 1:1 combination of sodium valproate and valproic acid, approved for the treatment of several neurological conditions. The payment includes a criminal fine of $700 million and civil settlements with the federal government and the states totalling $800 million. Specifically, Abbott has admitted promoting the drug to control agitation and aggression in elderly dementia patients and to treat schizophrenia – when neither of these uses was approved in the US from 1998 to 2006. Abbott maintained a specialised sales force trained to market Depakote products in nursing homes for dementia patients, without evidence that the drug was safe and effective in this area. In addition, from 2001 to 2006, the company marketed Depakote in combination with atypical antipsychotic drugs for treating schizophrenia, even after clinical trials failed to demonstrate that adding valproate semisodium was more effective than an atypical antipsychotic alone. Four corporate whistleblowers will get $84 million from the federal share of the settlement. ‘We are pleased to resolve this matter and are confident we have the programmes in place to satisfy the requirements of this settlement,’ said executive vice president Laura Schumacher. ‘The company takes its responsibility to patients and health care providers seriously.’

CHEMICAL – Central American paints company Pintuco (Compania Global de Pinturas) has signed a deal to buy the Central American paints business of US speciality chemical company HB Fuller for $120 million. Pintuco is a subsidiary of Grupo Mundial. HB Fuller says that it is looking to focus on adhesives; as such it makes sense to offload the ‘non-core’ paints business, which employs over 800 people across production plants and laboratories in Costa Rica, Honduras and Panama. In 2011, the business generated sales of $110 million.

CHEMICAL – Norway has formally opened what it says it the largest facility for testing and developing carbon capture and storage (CCS) methods in the world: Technology Centre Mongstad (TCM). The owners have formally invited companies to tender request to make use of the facilities, which include an amine plant built by Aker Clean Carbon and a chilled ammonia plant built by Alstom Norway. TCM is a joint venture between Norway and three oil majors: Statoil, Shell and Sasol. It aims help companies reduce the cost, technical, environmental and financial risks associated with CCS methods.

Andrew Turley

                  

Heading over to Google today (other search engines are available) I noticed the rather intriguing Google Doodle shown above. Now I love the way Google updates it’s logo on specific days, but I have to admit that it seems a bit odd to celebrate the 138th birthday of anyone, after all it’s not much of a round number.

Nevertheless, Carter is someone pretty special and is most well known for his discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in November 1922. However, Carter had actually started excavating Egyptian tombs when he was just 17, and also brought back many other finds, including goods from Pharaoh Hatshepsut’s tomb. In 2009, Anna told you about how they were going to resurrect some perfume found in that tomb, but I haven’t heard anything since and I certainly haven’t seen Eau de Hatshepsut on the high street.

Pharaoh Tutankhamun was one of the last of the 18th Dynasty and the discovery of his tomb was so significant because it was found so completely intact. What is also relevant is how well preserved the mummy of Tutankhamun was and is, and I blogged about the techniques used in mummification of the 18th Dynasty pharaohs last year.

It turns out that DNA can be extracted from these ancient and chemically altered mummies and, with careful purification, the DNA can be amplified and studied. Recent DNA analysis of Tutankhamun’s mummy has shown that he was the son of Akhenaten and one of Akhenaten’s sisters, and various investigations are still trying to conclusively prove whether the young pharaoh died from illness or from congenital problems related to being the product of a long line of incestuous breeding. Science, both ancient and modern, can be pretty cool.

Laura Howes

                  

Forensic electrochemistry to detect firearms use
On site gunshot residue detection made possible using cyclic voltammetry

Borosulfate breaks through
German chemists have created what they say is the first of a new kind of free borosulfate anion cluster

Cracks break the rules of nanofabrication
Controlled cracks offer a cheaper and easier way to create nano-sized patterns, say researchers in South Korea

Disposable paper electronic touch pads on their way
Cheap paper devices could be used in smart packaging, biomedical devices and many other applications

Keep stirring that Suzuki
Reactor shape can influence the behaviour of organotrifluoroborate compounds in Suzuki cross-coupling reactions, say chemists in the UK

Pharma firms see mixed fortunes in Québec
Canada’s pharmaceutical and life sciences hub hit by cutbacks as effects of global slowdown continue to be felt

                  

Novartis expands generics business with $1.5 billion purchase – new Gaucher drug – And DSM makes buys medical business

PHARMACEUTICAL – Novartis is expanding its generics activities with the purchase of US firm Fougera, which specialises in dermatology drugs. Novartis will pay $1.5 billion (£930 million) in cash for Fougera, currently owned by a group of private equity firms. The company already has a large presence in the generics industry through Sandoz, its generics subsidiary, which made 2011 sales of $9.5 billion. It says that the addition of Fougera, which made 2011 sales of $430 million, will make Sandoz the number one generics manufacturer in the dermatology area. Fougera employs 700 people across two main sites in New York, US.

PHARMACEUTICAL – US authorities have approved a new treatment for Gaucher’s disease: Elelyso (taliglucerase alfa) injections from Pfizer and Protalix. The dominant player in this area is Genzyme with its Cerezyme (imiglucerase) injections, approved way back in 1994. The Cerezyme brand has generated a lot of sales for Genzyme, $720 million in 2010, but the company has struggled to meet demand since a viral infection at its primary manufacturing site halted supply in 2009. Like Cerezyme injections, Elelyso injections are an enzyme replacement therapy, containing a form of human lysosomal enzyme glucocerebrosidase. But they’re quite distinct in another way: the active agent is the first of any for the treatment of any condition that is made from plants as biological factories. In this case, carrots cells have been genetically engineered to mass produce the foreign compound as they grow and divide. Pfizer gave a heavy nod to the supply problems at Genzyme in its press release: ‘To help minimize the possibility of supply disruptions, Pfizer is launching the “Supply Continuity Program,” which will endeavour to maintain a continuously restocked 24 months of supply at various stages of production for US patients prescribed Elelyso.’

CHEMICAL – Netherlands speciality chemical company DSM is set to buy US medical devices company Kensey Nash for $360 million. Kensey Nash specialises in regenerative medicine based on collagen and synthetic polymers. It employs 325 people, made 2011 sales of $72 million and is best known for its arterial closure device. DSM is looking to build a strong position in bio-passive (medical coatings and polymers) bio-active (resorbable polymers and drug delivery) and bio-interactive (regenerative medicine and tissue engineering) materials.

CHEMICAL – German chemical giant BASF has bought the polyamide (PA) polymer business of the Mazzaferro Group, strengthening its position in ‘engineering’ plastics and polyamide polymers in South America. The companies have agreed not to disclose financial details of the deal. BASF will take control of the polymerisation plant at São Bernardo do Campo in the metropolitan area of São Paulo, which has a capacity of roughly 20,000 metric tons per year. About 100 employees will transfer to BASF.

CHEMICAL – A new organisation has been established by the major photovoltaics manufacturers to ‘expand the global deployment of solar energy in a sustainable and cost-competitive way’. The Global Solar Council will be headed by Roland-Jan Meijer, who said: ‘The Global Solar Council is an important and timely industry initiative. It demonstrates a strong commitment by key players in the sector to work together to continue to make solar energy a global success.’ Applied Materials, Dow Corning, DuPont, First Solar, Lanco Solar, Phoenix Solar and Suntech have helped found the organisation, which will be complementary to regional trade associations.

Andrew Turley

                  

Any favourites in there? Mine is Paul Docherty of Totally Synthetic. He looks like a very happy man! I also love the fact that Andrea from Classic Kit gets to retain his lab goggles… What do you think?

— Charlotte Ashley-Roberts

— Bibiana Campos-Seijo

— Derek Lowe

— Paul Doherty

— Andrea Sella

— Phillip Ball

Bibiana Campos Seijo