CHEMICAL WEAPONS
▸ Russia destroys last of its stockpile Russia has destroyed the last of the massive chemical weapons stockpile it inherited from the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) says. The final artillery projectiles filled with VX nerve agent were dismantled on Sept. 27 at a facility in Russia’s Udmurtia region, wrapping up an effort that spanned two decades. “The completion of the verified destruction of Russia’s chemical weapons program is a major milestone,” says Ahmet Üzümcü, OPCW’s director general. OPCW oversees global efforts to eliminate stockpiles under the Chemical Weapons Convention, which took effect in 1997. The group says that over 96% of declared stockpiles have been eliminated by its 192 member nations. Russia declared an arsenal of 39,967 metric tons of chemical warfare agents, including mustard agent, phosgene, and the nerve agents sarin, soman, and VX. In 2012, the U.S. said it had destroyed 90% of its declared chemical weapons, about 30,500 metric tons. But budget shortfalls have slowed the disposal program, and the last of the U.S. stockpile is not scheduled for elimination until 2023.—GLENN HESS, special to C&EN
ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS
C R E D I T: S H UT T E RSTO CK
▸ EU Parliament shuns limited definition of toxics The European Parliament last week rejected a narrow definition of endocrine disruptors that would have allowed their use in some cases. The proposal—put forward by the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch—would have exempted some substances from scientific criteria for identifying endocrine disruptors, such as pesticides designed to attack parasites’ endocrine systems. Environmental groups lauded the vote. The proposal was an “unfit definition because too many chemicals would escape the regulatory net,” the European Consumer Organisation said in a statement. The EU debate over defining endocrine disruptors has long pitted industry interests and agriculture against consumer and environmental groups. In 2009 and 2012, the European Parliament approved laws on pesticides and biocides
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Growth in global solar energy capacity tops coal In 2016, for the first time, global capacity for photovoltaic solar energy rose faster than that for any other fuel, exceeding even the net growth of coal, says the International Energy Agency. ◼ Net additions Coal New solar projects ◼ Retirements Solar in China made up nearly 50% of all Wind new international Natural gas capacity. China, the U.S., and India are Total renewables predicted to account 0 50 100 150 200 for two-thirds of Additions, gigawatts future additions. Renewables overall provided two-thirds of global net energy capacity growth in 2016.—JEFF JOHNSON, special to C&EN Note: Renewables include solar, wind, hydropower, bioenergy, and geothermal. Source: International Energy Agency
that required regulation of endocrine disruptors based on hazards they pose. However, by 2015 the European Commission had failed to propose a definition for endocrine disruptors, which prompted the European Court of Justice to condemn the commission for not acting on its commitment. The commission is now expected to formulate a new proposal.—PAULA
DOBIAS, special to C&EN
PHARMACEUTICALS
▸ FDA acts to expand access to complex generic drugs FDA will take steps to increase the availability of certain lower-cost generic medicines in an attempt to address the rising cost of prescription drugs, the agency’s
head said last week. The agency will expedite the approval process for generic alternatives to hard-to-make complex drugs, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a blog post. “Any steps we can take to encourage the development of generic competitors to complex drugs will have an outsized impact on access, and prices,” Gottlieb said. “If consumers are priced out of the drugs they need, that’s a public health concern that FDA should address.” The new policy is significant because the agency has historically made its decisions on the basis of safety and efficacy without regard to cost. Complex drugs include medicines like metered-dose inhalers to treat asthma that have at least one feature that is difficult to replicate under current rules. To help get more generic versions of these drugs on the market, FDA will provide companies with guidance on how to win approvals, including offering meetings with agency staff early in the process.—GLENN
HESS, special to C&EN OCTOBER 9, 2017 | CEN.ACS.ORG | C&EN
23
