Business Roundup

Tessenderlo will stop making glycine at its plant in Tessenderlo, Belgium, by the end of 2010. The company, which calls itself Europe’s only glycine producer, says problems in the European market and competition from China are behind the move.

CF Industries has upped its purchase offer for fertilizer rival Terra Industries by $4.75 per share to $36.75. The new offer values Terra at about $4.6 billion.

W.R. Grace will expand its polypropylene catalyst plant in Worms, Germany. The company says the project will begin in the first quarter of 2010 and be complete in 2011.

Air Liquide has become a preferred supplier of precursors for high-dielectric-constant insulator films to ASM International, a Dutch maker of semiconductor fabrication equipment. Air Liquide will get access to ASM intellectual property related to films based on yttrium-doped zirconia, strontium titanate, and other materials.

Symyx and the Royal Society of Chemistry have launched a partnership aimed at enhancing the usability of public scientific databases. Their first project links the Royal Society’s ChemSpider chemistry portal with Symyx’ DiscoveryGate database.

International ­Flavors & Fragrances has opened a 460-m2 applications development facility in Moscow to serve customers in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Central Asia. Earlier this year, the firm opened development centers in São Paulo, Brazil, and Shanghai.

Biogen Idec has increased its offer for Facet Biotech, its partner for a multiple sclerosis drug in Phase III trials, by $3.00 per share to $17.50. Biogen says the $465 million on the table now is its “best and final” offer. Facet’s board responded by rejecting the offer, as it did the earlier one.

La Jolla Pharmaceutical and Adamis Pharmaceuticals will merge in a stock deal under which Adamis shareholders will own most of the new firm. It will focus on therapies for diseases including hepatitis and influenza. La Jolla was planning to dissolve itself as recently as October.