Business Roundup

Dow AgroSciences has sold its global dinitroaniline herbicide business to Arizona-based Gowan for an undisclosed amount. The herbicides are used to control grasses and small-seeded broadleaf weeds on crops including cotton, beans, canola, cereals, and vegetables.

LyondellBasell Industries has agreed to acquire Zylog Plastalloys, an Indian polypropylene compounder. The deal follows Lyondell’s purchase of SJS Plastiblends, another Indian polypropylene compounder, earlier this year.

Clariant will spend $10 million to build a pharmaceutical-grade desiccant plant in Tamil Nadu, India. The materials are used for moisture control in packaging and to ensure the stability of medications. India is a major producer of generic drugs.

DSM is expanding capacity for Akulon XS, a nylon resin for packaging film, at its plant in Emmen, the Netherlands. The company says Akulon XS crystallizes more slowly than conventional nylons do, eliminating the need for blending with other polymers.

AAIPharma Services plans to add 12,000 m² of research and office space to its headquarters in Wilmington, N.C. The $15.8 million investment is expected to support an additional 50 jobs over the next five years. The first 1,500 m² of lab space should be added by April 2016.

Ascletis, a Chinese biotech firm, has won a $20 million investment from Goldman Sachs. The funding adds to $35 million raised in September from venture capital and other investors. Founded in 2011 by former GlaxoSmithKline HIV researcher Jinzi Wu, Ascletis seeks to launch novel drugs in China.

Roche and Proximagen, a subsidiary of Upsher-Smith Laboratories, will pursue development of a small-molecule inhibitor of vascular adhesion protein-1 for inflammatory disease. Roche will develop and commercialize the compound, and Proximagen will perform Phase II clinical trials.

Hikma Pharmaceuticals has sold manufacturing facilities in Bedford, Ohio, to Xellia Pharmaceuticals. In 2014, Hikma acquired the site at which Ben Venue Laboratories ceased production in 2013. Xellia will restart four sterile injectable drug plants. Hikma retains a quality and development center.