Phillip Broadwith

Pfizer and Novo Nordisk’s battle over Metsera Lawsuits fly in bidding war over developer of next generation weight loss drugs

Pfizer and Novo Nordisk are in a bidding war over Metsera – a US biotech developing new weight loss drugs. Both suitors have upped their offers to around $10 billion, but Metsera says Novo's 'superior' offer could allow it to break its agreement with Pfizer.
www.chemistryworld.com/news/pfizer-...

Spin-out support is stretched thin University entrepreneurs need more consistent help to bridge the gap betweeen ideas and businesses

While large companies and investors still have funds to commit to spin-outs, they tend to be looking for fewer, higher value deals. That means start-ups need to be more developed, so they need more consistent support - both financial and in building expertise
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/spin...

Going round in circles over skills Closing skills gaps in key professional groups requires collaboration between government, industry and educators

The future materials economy must be more circular, and we need people with the right skills to make that happen. There are skills gaps in key industries, which will take pro-active and collaborative action from industry, government and educators to address.
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/goin...

Have MOFs now made it? Will Nobel prize speed porous materials to commercial success?

The Nobel prize for metal-organic frameworks has been predicted for several years, even without much commercial presence. With several materials now at or close to commercial scale, perhaps the Nobel will provide the impetus for MOFs to have real-world impact.
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/have...

BASF builds one of world’s largest industrial heat pumps. I told Chemistry World:

“BASF is the largest chemical company in the world. Putting its weight behind heat pumps at this scale signals confidence in the technology in the chemicals sector and beyond.”

www.chemistryworld.com/news/basf-be...

Trump steps up pharma tariff threat Taxing branded drug imports could hit biotech innovators hardest

Trump is threatening punitive tariffs on patented and branded medicines, unless they build US manufacturing plants. That might look like an attempt to coerce multinationals to invest but that view belies the complexity of the industry and its supply chains.
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/trum...

A global petrochemical shift China's rapid capacity expansion fuels global oversupply, leading plant closures in Europe and elsewhere

The global petrochemicals landscape is shifting. China's massive capacity expansion aimed at reducing imports has left producers elsewhere with oversupply, leading to low prices, squeezed margins, and closure of plants with higher costs - mainly in Europe.

www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/a-gl...

Is UK pharma really ‘uninvestable’? Merck & Co, AstraZeneca (AZ) and Eli Lilly pulling UK projects highlights the precarious position of the country's life sciences industry

Pharma leaders have branded the UK 'uninvestable' as Merck & Co, AstraZeneca and Eli Lilly have canceled or paused R&D investments. But they also recognise the UK's world-class research base, meaning it should be possible to tip the balance back again. www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/is-u...

UK biofuels burning out With UK plants facing closure, what are the options and issues around different renewable fuels?

With UK plants facing closure, what are the options and issues around different renewable fuels? Dropping US tariffs means corn-derived ethanol imports are cheaper than domestic sugarbeet crops, while biodiesel and other options face similar issues

www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/uk-b...

Deadly fentanyl contamination exposes drug safety challenges Bacterial conatmination in medical fentanyl has killed at least 51 people in Argentina, highlighting pressures on generic drugmakers

Argentina's medical fentanyl contamination tragedy has left over 50 people dead. Bacterial contamination of drugs is generally accidental, and normally intercepted, but the consequences of tradeoffs that make safeguards more likely to fail are devastating.
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/dead...

Will oral weight loss drugs challenge injectables? Pills may offer convenience for manufacturers, but it's not clear they will overtake existing drugs

Diabetes/weight loss peptide injectables - Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic/Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro/Zepbound - are incredibly successful, with potentially even more promising peptides in the pipeline. So why the rush to replace them with pills?

www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/will...

Cheap virgin plastic limits recycling potential Global plastic treaty negotiations risk being derailed by minority opposed to production caps

If we are to reach a more circular plastic economy, there has to be economic supply and demand for recycled materials. That means virgin materials (currently cheap and abundant) must become more expensive – either by taxation, limiting production or both.
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/chea...

Intergovernmental panel on chemicals, waste and pollution needs diverse input Balancing industrial expertise against unwanted commercial influence is not easy but shouldn't be discounted

The UN’s new panel on chemicals, waste and pollution faces a gargantuan and complex task. But there are still details to finalise. It's crucial that there are ways to feed independent and industrial science into committees, while managing inevitable biases.
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/inte...

Losing sleep over pesticide exposure Managing exposure risks

Farmers and researchers across the world are experiencing disturbed sleep patterns associated with exposure to a variety of chemical pesticides. And while putting the pesticides away would be a simple solution, it's impractical - they are too useful.
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/losi...

China’s drug development charge Reforms and state support have fuelled domestic and foreign investment in pharmaceutical

In 2015, the Chinese government introduced reforms aimed at supercharging pharmaceutical innovation. Those reforms are bearing fruit, with an investment boom and both domestic and international approvals of China-developed drugs increasing markedly.
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/chin...

Cracking under pressure Basic chemical plant closures highlight strain on European industry

2 more European crackers are closing, plus a handful of other basic chemicals plants. Chemicals are the foundation of huge swathes of manufacturing industry, and their closures will have significant long- and short-term impacts on regional production networks.
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/crac...

Will HIV prevention get where it’s needed? Gilead and its partners' efforts to distribute generic lenacapavir could be derailed by cuts in international aid budgets

US approval of Gilead’s 6-month HIV preventive injection is a huge advance. But will it get where it's needed?
The highest risk of HIV infection is in lower income countries, and cuts to international aid budgets risk derailing generic supply agreements. www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/will...

both make excellent sorbet if you have an icecream-maker (add a little creme de cassis to the blackcurrant one to help it stay softer after freezing)

Critical metals supply strained Conflict - both military and political - is having profound effects on supplies of a wide range of materials

For such critical materials, a whole variety of metals have quite precarious supply chains. From Congolese cobalt to various metals with (perhaps unexpected) military applications, supplies of technologically important materials are under serious strain
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/crit...

The future of oil refining in the UK Can plants adapt to be compatible with a lower-carbon environment?

What is the UK's oil refining future? EET’s Stanlow refinery has been refitted with a hydrogen-ready furnace, which it says will reduce the plant’s carbon footprint. But that assumes it captures emissions from H2 production
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/the-...

Safety is everyone’s responsibility Maintaining culture and investment is key, especially in the absence of incidents

UK chemicals industry has learned some lessons from the past & now sees relatively few serious incidents. But when incidents are rare, investment in safety is an easy target for budget cuts, whose impact may not be seen for years, but could be catastrophic. www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/safe...

Rebuilding pharma supply chains Multinationals are promising huge US investments, but it's not all because of Trump's policies

Trump wants more medicines be manufactured in the US. And he’s brandishing both tariff stick and red-tape-cutting carrot.
But it takes years to build new plants, so investment decisions are unlikely to have been significantly swayed by Trump's policies.

www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/rebu...

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Iran port explosion highlights issues of shipping hazardous chemicals Intersecting regulations and jurisdictions mean rules can be accidentally or deliberately overlooked

The deadly Iranian port explosion is a stark reminder of the inherent risks of transporting large quantities of hazardous chemicals around the world, and the challenges of tracking and regulating shipments effectively, while allowing trade to flow efficiently.
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/iran...

Giving companies room to grow Can shopping centres and offices become urban lab spaces for innovative companies to grow and scale-up?

There is a chronic shortage of labs for UK companies that are starting up and scaling up. It’s been holding back growth for years.
Declining demand for shops and offices in cities provides an opportunity to develop new labs, but they need to be flexible www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/givi...

The UK government is looking for input from people/companies affected by US tariffs, or who might be affected if the UK imposes tariffs on US goods in response. If that's you, complete the government survey here before 1 May. www.gov.uk/government/p...

Trump’s tariff stand-off Piling cost and complexity to stretched global supply chains will hit industries hard

The US pharmaceutical and chemicals industries rely heavily on imports of products that aren't made in the US, and it would take years to build capacity. Whatever Trump's goal is with the tariffs, the industries are facing significant pains while it plays out. www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/trum...

"I know you might think you’ve heard this before, but computational methods are now so powerful, they’re going to lead us directly to drugs!"
@dereklowe.bsky.social and @philiprobinson.bsky.social give us a window into the latest MegaPharm project meeting...
💊
rsc.li/MegaPharmMee...

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If you liked this article, you can sign up to my weekly Industry Brief #newsletter, with a weekly analysis from across the chemicals and pharmaceuticals industry, as well as summaries of the week's biggest news stories www.chemistryworld.com/newsletters

Decoding 23andMe’s downfall DNA testing firm's bankruptcy raises data security questions

What happens in a bankruptcy when a company's main asset is its customers' personal genetic information? We're about to find out as 23andMe goes through a court-supervised sale process. Who will buy the firm's genetic databank, and what will they do with it? www.chemistryworld.com/decoding-23a...