Business Roundup

Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan is reducing its workforce by 140 and cutting production by 600,000 metric tons per year at its Cory, Saskatchewan, potash facility. The firm says it is shifting production to lower-cost sites.

Nanoco has acquired patents from Eastman Kodak related to the use of quantum dots in electroluminescent displays, a future display technology that can replace organic light-emitting diode displays. Nanoco is a developer of cadmium-free quantum dots.

Fluidic Energy, an Arizona State University spinoff developing zinc-air batteries, has received a $20 million investment from Asia Climate Partners. ACP, a private equity firm, hopes the investment will lead to more renewable energy access in Southeast Asia.

CABB Group has replaced the mercury cell chlorine unit at its Pratteln, Switzerland, fine chemicals site with membrane-based chlorine production. The $53 million investment increases output 75% to 47,000 metric tons per year.

Indigo, an agriculture start-up, will partner with Australia’s Flinders University, to develop and commercialize endophyte microbe strains, which they call probiotics for plants. Flinders researchers have shown the strains promote robust growth in legumes and say they have the potential to benefit major grain and pasture crops.

Albany Molecular Research Inc. has signed a multiyear agreement to supply Shire with the active pharmaceutical ingredient for an undisclosed product in Shire’s portfolio. AMRI already supplies the API for Vynase, a Shire attention deficit hyperactivity disorder drug.

Kymab, a British developer of monoclonal antibody drugs, has raised $100 million in a Series C round of venture capital funding. The company says it will use the money to develop its pipeline of immuno-oncology, auto-immunity, hematology, and infectious disease drugs.

Continuus Pharmaceuticals has been awarded $4.4 million from FDA and BARDA to develop a science-and risk-based approach for monitoring and improving drug quality through integrated continuous manufacturing. Over three years, the company intends to build an automated pilot plant to test relevant regulatory principles, including real-time release and traceability.