Business Roundup

Dow will build a facility for methylene diphenyl diisocyanate distillation and prepolymer production in Freeport, Texas. Dow says the plant will replace a facility in La Porte, Texas, and increase its capacity for the polyurethane raw material by 30%.

Sumitomo Chemical plans to build a research facility in Ciba, Japan, dedicated to developing materials and technologies that reduce environmental impact. The 19,000 m² facility is set to open in March 2024.

Umicore has appointed Mathias Miedreich to succeed Marc Grynberg as CEO in the fourth quarter of this year. Miedreich is a member of the board of Faurecia, a supplier of auto parts, including those for electric cars.

Bayer has acquired two radiotherapy companies, Noria Therapeutics and its subsidiary PSMA Therapeutics, for an undisclosed amount. The purchase gives Bayer rights to α radionuclide therapies based on actinium-225.

Arkema has acquired a 10% stake in Erpro 3D Factory (E3DF), a French start-up specializing in large-scale additive manufacturing. Since its creation, E3DF has produced more than 19 million parts, mostly from biobased nylon 11.

HeidelbergCement will convert its facility in Slite, Sweden, into what it calls the world’s first carbon-neutral cement plant. When the upgrades are complete in 2030, the firm says, the plant will capture 1.8 million metric tons of CO₂ per year.

Merck & Co. has signed a deal worth about $1.2 billion to sell about 1.7 million courses of its SARS-CoV-2 antiviral molnupiravir to the US government. Merck is studying molnupiravir in a Phase 3 trial of people with mild or moderate COVID-19.

Onchilles Pharma has raised $7 million in series A financing from LYZZ Capital and the University of Chicago’s Startup Investment Fund to develop drugs that boost a natural enzyme that helps kill cancer cells. Founder Lev Becker says the enzyme kills cancer cells at the site of a tumor and affects metastases.