Business Roundup

Solutia has sold its businesses in rubber additives dithiocarbamate and tetrabenzylthiuram disulfide to Performance Additives Europe, a subsidiary of Singapore’s Behn Meyer Chemical, for $26 million. The products are manufactured in Termoli, Italy.

Rockwood Holdings subsidiary Chemetall plans to build a $25 million plant to make chemicals for pretreating metal before painting. The facility, in Blackman Township, Mich., about 70 miles west of Detroit, will employ 74 workers when completed.

Ferro plans to expand capacity for electronics-grade silver powder and flake by 30% in South Plainfield, N.J. When completed in July, the expansion will meet growing demand for ultra-fine-particle silver used to make solar panels, high-definition displays, and printable electronics.

W.R. Grace says a bankruptcy court judge has approved its plan of reorganization. The firm must still receive approval from the federal district court in Delaware before it can exit from 10 years of court supervision.

Toray Industries is building a 15,000-metric-ton-per-year polyester film plant in Yizheng, China. The facility will produce specialty grades used in flat-panel displays. Toray is also completing construction of a 6,600-metric-ton film plant at the site.

VWR International has acquired Amresco, a manufacturer of biochemicals and reagents for life sciences research. VWR, a lab products distributor, says Amresco’s expertise “plays well with our increased focus on chemical and life science applications.”

Segetis, a biobased chemicals maker, is expanding capacity for its solvent and nonphthalate plasticizer products to “several million pounds” per year. The firm recently registered five chemicals with EPA and has begun commercial manufacturing of three biodegradable products made from levulinic ketals.

Oxford BioMedica will acquire a manufacturing plant from RecipharmCobra Biologics for about $3 million. The plant will allow the gene therapy company to produce more of its own products for clinical trials. Both the plant and Oxford BioMedica are in Oxford, England.

BioFocus has signed a three-year compound management services agreement with Lundbeck Research. Under the agreement, BioFocus’ San Francisco-based Compound Focus subsidiary will manage Lundbeck’s liquid-chemical library, distributing compound sets to high-throughput screening centers in the U.S. and Europe.

Alexion Pharmaceuticals has paid $111 million for Cambridge, Mass.-based Taligen Therapeutics. The acquisition of the privately held biotech expands Alexion’s drug pipeline to include preclinical compounds. Taligen shareholders are eligible for more cash if the compounds meet certain milestones.