viously housed in different buildings. 3M says the lab opens up collaboration opportunities for scientists working on diverse products such as higher-energy batteries, ceramics, and electronics. “You must devote time, energy, 3M opened new and capital to enlabs in St. Paul. courage a culture
where people feel empowered,” says Chief Technology Officer Ashish Khandpur.—
PEOPLE
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
▸ Cabot and DuPont name executives
▸ Group challenges Pfizer patent
Cabot and DuPont have named new executives. At Cabot, Sean D. Keohane has been named president and CEO, succeeding Patrick M. Prevost who is stepping down because of health concerns. Keohane was previously head of Cabot performance materials. At DuPont, Randy L. Stone has been named president of the performance materials business, succeeding Patrick E. Lindner who has joined fluoropolymer specialist W.L. Gore & Associates. Stone was previously global business director of the materials business.—MARC REISCH
Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, has filed a “patent opposition” in India against the Pfizer pneumonia vaccine Prevenar. MSF argues that Prevenar does not merit a patent because the method it uses to conjugate 13 serotypes of streptococcus pneumonia was not granted a patent in Europe. MSF claims that an Indian drug firm has offered to supply the vaccine for $6.00 per shot, or $4.00 less than Pfizer’s lowest price in low-income countries. Pfizer says it has not yet seen MSF’s petition and that it is still in discussions with Indian government health officials.—JEAN-FRANÇOIS TREMBLAY
ONCOLOGY
INVESTMENT
▸ Roche and Blueprint pursue immunotherapy
▸ Shire takes on an ex-Cubist site
Roche will pay Blueprint Medicines $45 million up front as part of a broad pact to develop small-molecule cancer immunotherapies. Roche has the option to license up to five small molecules targeting immunokinases, proteins that play a role in regulating immune cells’ response. Blueprint is tasked with early development of the drug candidates, and Roche can buy into each program after Phase I data are available. Blueprint could secure close to $1 billion more in option and milestone fees if Roche licenses all five programs.—LISA JARVIS
Shire has leased two of the three former Cubist Pharmaceuticals buildings in Lexington, Mass. Merck & Co. bought Cubist in early 2015 and subsequently shuttered early research at the antibiotics firm. That closure provided an opportunity for Shire, which according to an official has seen its headcount in Massachusetts grow by 700 people. “Given this growth, Shire continues to review our corporate, R&D, and manufacturing space needs,” the official says. Shire gained a research center in Cambridge, Mass., through its acquisition of Baxalta.—LISA JARVIS
MARC REISCH
RESEARCH FUNDING
▸ … As Asahi Kasei centralizes R&D Asahi Kasei will spend $26 million to consolidate the research activities at its site in Mizushima, Japan. About 150 researchers who now work in two different parts of the site will be joined after Asahi completes construction of a six-floor facility in the summer of 2017. The firm will also renovate facilities in an adjacent building. Asahi expects that putting researchers together will facilitate collaboration in the fields of catalysts, processes, and new materials.—JEAN-FRANÇOIS TREMBLAY
Roundup
3M
▸ BASF and South Korea’s Kolon Plastics have formed a joint venture to build a 70,000-metric-ton-per-year polyoxymethylene, or polyacetal, plant at Kolon’s site in Gimcheon, South Korea. Both companies already make the engineering plastic. BASF will close its German polyacetal plant after the Korean plant opens. ▸ Covestro has secured $1.7 million from the German government to develop a pro-
cess for making elastomers from waste carbon dioxide. Covestro will work on the three-year project with RWTH Aachen University and the Technical University of Berlin.
treatments. As part of its deal with Hitachi, PCT will become a contract manufacturer for Japanese drug companies, hospitals, and research institutes.
▸ Ineos will buy Solvay’s 50% share of the two firms’ chlorovinyls venture Inovyn by the second half of 2016. Solvay had originally planned to exit the business in July 2018.
▸ Bayer has opened an East Coast Innovation Center in Boston to tap into the life sciences community there. Bayer says the site will allow it to expand its drug development partnering activities in the region, where it already has relationships with organizations such as the Broad Institute, Crispr Therapeutics, and Dimension Therapeutics.
▸ Hitachi Chemical has acquired a stake in New Jersey-based PCT, a manufacturer of cells used in regenerative medicine, particularly cancer
▸ Takeda Pharmaceutical and Frazier Healthcare Partners have formed Outpost Medicine to develop TAK-233 (now OP-233), a clinical-stage small molecule being studied for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence. Outpost has raised $41 million in financing. ▸ GlaxoSmithKline’s CEO, Andrew Witty, says he plans to retire in early 2017. Witty has led the British drugmaker for nearly 10 years. GSK says it will search internally and externally for his replacement.
MARCH 21, 2016 | CEN.ACS.ORG | C&EN
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