to, Calif., home of Bayer’s plant biologic activities.—MELODY BOMGARDNER
INSTRUMENTATION
er viral infections. Abivax’s lead candidate, ABX464, is in Phase II clinical trials as an HIV/AIDS treatment.—MICHAEL MCCOY
EMPLOYMENT
▸ Shimadzu buys standards specialist
▸ Alexion cuts 20% and moves to Boston
Shimadzu has acquired France-based AlsaChim, a maker of isotope-labeled analytical and reference standards used in clinical trial and diagnostic applications. Financial details were not disclosed. Shimadzu says the deal will help drive sales of its mass spectrometers and increase sales of its existing reagents and diagnostic kits.—MARC REISCH
INFECTIOUS DISEASE
▸ Evotec and Abivax in small-molecule pact
Rare-disease drugmaker Alexion Pharmaceuticals will cut 20% of its workforce, about 600 jobs, and move its headquarters to Boston, leaving about 450 positions behind in New Haven, Conn. The move comes amid controversy over aggressive sales practices for Alexion’s drug Soliris, which treats rare blood diseases, that led to the ousting of its CEO. The downsizing includes the shuttering of a plant in Smithfield, R.I., and the end of partnerships with Moderna Therapeutics and Arbutus Biopharma.—RYAN CROSS
Schultz will likely face discussions about dividing the firm into two entities, one focused on generics and the other on new drug development. Lundbeck’s stock fell on the news, while Teva’s began rebounding after a 15-year low.—RYAN CROSS
DRUG DEVELOPMENT
▸ Janssen drops hepatitis C treatment
GENERICS The contract research firm Evotec will work with Abivax, a French biotech company, to develop CF3O new treatments for viral diseasN N H es. Abivax has Cl developed a ABX464 library of more than 1,000 small molecules designed to inhibit mRNA biogenesis. At its facility in Toulouse, France, Evotec will optimize Abivax’s drug candidates and help develop new drugs for influenza, Dengue, and oth-
▸ Teva snags new CEO from Lundbeck The indebted generics giant Teva Pharmaceutical has ended a seven-month search for its fourth CEO in six years, nabbing Kåre Schultz from the same role at the neuroscience drug developer Lundbeck and quelling rumors that AstraZeneca’s CEO would take the job. Schultz will move to Teva’s headquarters in Israel, where he
Business Roundup
C R E D I T: LU N D BEC K
▸ Solvay will start producing polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) at its site in Augusta, Ga., next year to meet growing demand from the aerospace industry. The firm already makes polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and other high-end polymers at the facility. ▸ Clariant has formed a joint venture with Tiangang Auxiliary to make ultraviolet light stabilizers in China’s Hebei province. A multi-million-dollar facility, to come on-line in 2019, will meet demand for
the stabilizers from China’s textile and auto industries. ▸ Bayer has sold 19 million shares in Covestro, its former materials and plastics business, for $1.4 billion. The sell-off reduces Bayer’s stake in Covestro by 9.4% to 31.5%. ▸ MycoTechnology, a food technology start-up based in Aurora, Colo., has raised $35 million from undisclosed investors in a second round of funding. The company’s organic, powdered mushroom mycelium product is
Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen division says it will halt development of the hepatitis C treatment JNJ-4178, citing rising numbers of existing therapies. JNJ-4178 is a cocktail of three small-molecule antivirals: AL-335, obtained when Janssen acquired Alios BioPharma for $1.75 billion; simeprevir, licensed from Medivir; and odalasvir from Achillion Pharmaceuticals. Share prices at Medivir and Achillion fell by double digits after the news. Janssen says it will shift emphasis toward hepatitis B therapies.—RYAN CROSS
used to block bitter flavors of foods, beverages, and natural noncaloric sweeteners. ▸ Oxis Energy, a British lithium-sulfur battery materials developer, will work with NASA to build battery cells for aircraft designed for terrestrial and planetary missions. Both organizations will work together to reduce battery weight. ▸ Gridtential, a Bay Area battery start-up, has raised $11 million from 1955 Capital and U.S. and Chinese battery manufacturers in its second round of funding. The firm’s automotive and station-
ary-energy-storage batteries are similar to lead acid types but use plated silicon wafers in place of lead grids. ▸ Boehringer Ingelheim will work with the Danish biotech firm Gubra to develop peptide compounds that treat obesity. Gubra could reap as much as $300 million in up-front and milestone payments. ▸ Bayer and Vanderbilt University Medical Center have formed a five-year collaboration to develop therapies for kidney diseases. Their goal is to discover two investigational new drugs for people with end-stage renal failure.
SEPTEMBER 18, 2017 | CEN.ACS.ORG | C&EN
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