Business Roundup

Versalis, the chemical arm of the Italian oil company Eni, has increased its stake in the biopolymer maker Novamont to 35% from 25%. Versalis and Novamont jointly own Matrica, an Italian company that makes biobased products.

Milliken is expanding capacity at its Bad Bentheim, Germany, plant, which it acquired with its purchase of Zebra-chem last year. Products made at the facility include viscosity modifiers that improve the melt flow of recycled resins.

Baker Hughes is forming an oil-field chemical joint venture in Saudi Arabia with Dussur, which is owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Saudi Aramco, and Sabic. The joint venture will include Baker Hughes’s facilities in Damman and Jubail, Saudi Arabia.

Viridis Chemical has begun producing ethyl acetate from corn ethanol at a plant in Columbus, Nebraska. The distributor Helm will market the material, which is used in cosmetics, packaging, coatings, and adhesives.

Biosynth Carbosynth, which makes carbohydrates, nucleosides, and phospholipids for the life sciences industry, has acquired Vivitide, a specialist in making peptides and antibodies. Vivitide’s owner, Ampersand Capital Partners, has joined KKR as a Biosynth owner.

Catalent has acquired a UK government–backed vaccine facility near Oxford, England. The company plans to spend up to $160 million to complete construction and equip the site to make biologic therapies and vaccines.

Carbogen-Amcis, a Swiss drug services firm, has named Pascal Villemagne CEO. Villemagne, previously vice president of sales and marketing, succeeds Mark Griffiths, who led the company since 2011.

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has awarded Eloxx Pharmaceuticals up to $15.9 million to support clinical trials for the potential CF treatment ELX-02. The small molecule is being tested in combination with a cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator.