Business Concentrates PHARMACEUTICALS PETROCHEMICALS
End of the line for caprolactam plant Fibrant, a producer of the nylon feedstock caprolactam, plans to shut down its Augusta, Ga., plant over the next 16 months, eliminating about 600 jobs. The firm attributes the decision to a protracted global oversupply of—and O scant profits for— the commodity NH chemical. Formed in late Caprolactam 2015 out of DSM’s caprolactam operations, Fibrant is owned 65% by the private equity firm CVC Capital Partners and 35% by DSM. The price of caprolactam “has dropped substantially below the product cost, and prospects for recovery are poor,” says Pol De Turck, Fibrant’s CEO. The decision to close down “was the only viable course of action,” he says. The firm also produces by-product ammonium sulfate, which is sold as a fertilizer. Shutting down the Augusta operation, which dates back to 1966, will eliminate about 230,000 metric tons of annual caprolactam production capacity. DSM and others use the monomer to make nylon 6 engineering resins, fibers, and packaging materials. Fibrant continues to operate caprolactam units in the Netherlands and China with an annual capacity exceeding 670,000 metric tons. The Fibrant shutdown should brighten prospects for the two remaining U.S. caprolactam producers: BASF and Honeywell. In May, Honeywell revealed plans to spin off its caprolactam and nylon operations into a new company to be called AdvanSix. Plans are to complete the $1.3 billion separation early next year.—MARC REISCH
AstraZeneca shifts allies for skin disease antibodies New licensing deals move drugs between Valeant and Leo Pharma AstraZeneca has rejiggered licenses to two ing anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) dermatological therapies as it shifts its foblockbusters Humira, Remicade, and Enbrel, cus to other disease areas. which also will face biosimilar competition. First, it has licensed European rights to Dominated by biologics, sales of psoriasis brodalumab, a monoclonal antibody aimed drugs are expected to grow 4% per year and at treating plaque psoriasis, to the Danish reach $9 billion by 2019, according to the dermatology specialist Leo Pharma. To do so, AstraZeneca must pay to end part of Newest biologics target interleukins. an agreement with Valeant Drug Target Stage Developer Pharmaceuticals, the largely a Approved Novartis Secukinumab IL-17A generic drugs firm that has b been in the news for its pricApproved Ixekizumab IL-17A Eli Lilly & Co. ing practices. Phase III Brodalumab IL-17A AstraZeneca Valeant has been a partPhase III Guselkumab IL-23 Janssen ner of AstraZeneca since September 2015 when it paid Phase III Risankizumab IL-23 Boehringer Ingelheim $100 million, and agreed to Phase III Tildrakizumab IL-23 Merck & Co. pay $345 million more in a January 2015 as Cosentyx. b March 2016 as Taltz. milestone payments, for Source: National Psoriasis Foundation rights to brodalumab, except in Asia. Valeant will retain rights to market research firm IMS Health. Interleubrodalumab in the U.S. and other markets. kin-targeting antibodies will account for 31% Japan’s Kyowa Hakko Kirin has Asian rights. of sales; anti-TNF agents will make up 44%. Valeant had stepped in a couple of In a second deal, AstraZeneca is licensing months after Amgen, the drug’s originator, tralokinumab to Leo Pharma for dermatolended a codevelopment pact with Astraogy uses. Leo will pay AstraZeneca $115 milZeneca after reports of suicidal ideation lion and up to $1 billion in commercial mileand behavior in Phase III trials. Despite stones, as well as royalties. positive clinical results, Amgen anticipated Tralokinumab is an anti-IL-13 monoclothat the drug’s use would be restricted. nal antibody that has completed a Phase IIb Now under regulatory review, study for treating atopic dermatitis. Along brodalumab works by binding to the interwith making the antibody, AstraZeneca leukin-17 (IL-17) receptor to block inflamis keeping rights in other areas, including matory signaling. If approved, it and similar respiratory diseases, where it is in Phase III biologics will compete with the long-standtrials against asthma.—ANN THAYER
Psoriasis pipeline
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Drop in the share price of DuPont spin-off Chemours last Wednesday afer DuPont was found liable for a man’s testicular cancer by a jury in Columbus, Ohio. The jury awarded the man $5.1 million afer finding that his illness was due to drinking water contaminated by perfluorooctanoic acid from DuPont’s former Parkersburg, W.Va., plant. DuPont transferred liability in 3,500 PFOA contamination cases to Chemours when it spun off the business last year, although Chemours is now questioning the extent of its liability. JULY 11, 2016 | CEN.ACS.ORG | C&EN
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