Page 164 - CW E-Magazine (20-2-2024)

News from Abroad News from Abroad

ENGINEERING view following production setbacks. network,” said Novo Nordisk’s CEO,
Maire awarded FEED contract for hydrogen-ammonia Mr. Marc Steinberg, an Elliott partner, said Mr. Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, in a state-
ment. Due to its manufacturing prob-
in a statement the fund “fully supports”
plant in Portugal; inks biomethane tech deal with Engie the transaction. Novo Holdings will pay lems, Novo Nordisk had restricted supply
of the ‘Wegovy’ starter doses so people
$63.50 a share, a 16.5% premium to
Catalent’s closing price on February 9 already on treatment could continue
Italian technology & engineering highest environmental and safety stan- and nearly 50% above the average price receiving the drug. The drugmaker recently
group, Maire, has announced that Tec- dards. The project is geared towards the over the past two months, weighted announced it would lift the restriction as
nimont (Integrated E&C Solutions) set-up of an export energy carrier value by trading volume. Upon the deal’s it has been able to expand supply.
has been awarded a FEED (Front-End- chain between the Port of Sines (Portu- close, which is expected by the end of being purchased by Novo Nordisk spe-
Engineering Design) contract by Mado- gal) and Northwestern European Hub. 2024, Novo Holdings will take posses- cialise in what’s known as fi ll-fi nish, Maintaining a sure supply will be-
quaPower2X to develop an integrated sion of Catalent’s more than 50 sites, or the processes of sterilising and stan- come even more essential for Novo
green hydrogen and green ammonia Biomethane technology collaboration which include production facilities for dardising pharmaceutical products and Nordisk as it faces competition from
plant located in the industrial zone of In another development, Maire said small-molecule pills, injectable bio- containers before fi lling and sealing the rival Eli Lilly, which recently launched
Sines, Portugal. Nextchem Tech will collaborate with logics, as well as cell and gene therapies. containers with drug product. a weight-loss drug, ‘Zepbound’. Novo
French utility major, Engie, for the Holdings owns just over one-quarter
MadoquaPower2x is a consortium development and commercialisation of “Our acquisition of Catalent is “The acquisition complements the of Novo Nordisk shares, but controls
comprised of Madoqua Renewables, for the construction activities of the an advanced biomethane technology aligned with our mandate to invest in signifi cant investments we are already about 77% of voting capital. It itself
Power2X and Copenhagen Infrastruc- plant. The fi nal notice to proceed is for the production of synthetic methane high quality life sciences companies,” doing in active pharmaceutical ingre- is wholly-owned by the Novo Nordisk
ture Partners (CIP), through its Energy expected by 22 March 2024. from dry biomass waste. said Novo Holdings CEO, Mr. Kasim dients facilities, and the sites will provide Foundation, and had assets of €108-bn
Transition Fund. Kutay, in a statement. The three sites strategic fl exibility to our existing supply at the end of 2022.
This award follows a pre-FEED Under this cooperation agreement,
The project involves the production carried out by NextChem Tech, Maire’s NextChem Tech will act as strategic FOCUS ON ONCOLOGY
of green hydrogen using alkaline-water Sustainable Technology Solutions subsi- partner and co-developer in order to AstraZeneca investing in new US facility to boost
electrolyser technology and production diary. Tecnimont will provide its EPC optimise, integrate, develop, and com-
of green ammonia through the Haber- expertise leveraging on NextChem mercialise this advanced process using cell therapy capabilities
Bosch process. Green ammonia will be Tech’s technological competences for Nextchem’s and Engie’s proprietary
transported by pipeline to the Port of hydrogen production and storage. technologies. Once industrialised Pharma major, AstraZeneca, is in- and Chief Sustainability Offi cer,
Sines and loaded for export and/or used through the Salamandre project in Le vesting $300-mn in a new facility in AstraZeneca, said, “This new $300-mn
as maritime fuel. MadoquaPower2X will use renew- Havre, in France, NextChem Tech will Rockville, Maryland (USA) to launch investment will accelerate our ambition
able energy generated by solar and wind act globally as licensor of the integ- its cell therapy platforms in the US for to make next-generation cell therapy
Tecnimont’s scope of work entails assets under development in Portugal rated package on an exclusive basis. critical cancer trials and future com- a reality, ensuring that we are ready
the design of the electrolysers’ integ- and up to 500-MWs of electrolysis “This cooperation is part of NextChem mercial supply. The facility will be crea- to scale and meet the demands of
ration, air separation unit for nitrogen capacity to produce up to 1,200-tpd Tech’s and Engie’s commitment to the ted to initially focus on manufacturing patients.”
production, ammonia production plant, (tonnes per day) of green ammonia. transition to a zero-carbon industry, by T-cell therapies to enable clinical trials
as well as storage and ship loading faci- It will be the fi rst facility in Sines, the reducing energy consumption and of- to be conducted around the world. Over sciences ecosystem provides an attrac- AstraZeneca is building a cell therapy
lities. As part of the agreement, Tecni- largest industrial and logistic hub in fering more environmentally friendly time, the site may expand its focus to tive environment for recruiting new and portfolio that aims to empower and
mont will also submit an Engineering, the Iberian Peninsula, to produce clean solutions through a circular approach,” support other disease areas, the company experienced talent, the company said. equip the immune system’s T-cells to
Procurement and Construction proposal energy at an industrial scale and with the Maire said in a press note. informed. more effectively fi ght cancer. The com-
The Rockville facility will join pany’s research teams are exploring
CONSOLIDATION The site represents the latest invest- AstraZeneca’s global manufacturing and new ways to target and arm CAR-Ts
Novo Holdings to buy Catalent for $16.5-bn ment in cell therapy for AstraZeneca supply network of nearly 30 manufac- to increase their effectiveness in solid
following collaborations with Quell turing and supply sites in 16 countries, tumours by overcoming the immune-sup-
Novo Holdings, the controlling its parent company $11-bn to take over Novo Nordisk and Catalent already therapeutics, AbelZeta, Cellectis, and which are either currently operational pressive tumour microenvironment.
shareholder of Danish drug fi rm, Novo three Catalent plants in Italy, Belgium work together at the three sites, which the acquisition of Neogene Therapeu- or under development. In the US, Looking to the future, AstraZeneca
Nordisk, will buy US-based contract and Indiana to help expand production employ more than 3,000 staff. tics. The Rockville facility is located AstraZeneca’s manufacturing sites focus is working to engineer next-genera-
manufacturer, Catalent, for $16.5-bn in of its GLP-1 drugs ‘Ozempic’ and less than fi ve miles away from one of on the production of small molecules tion cell therapies, where physicians
a take-private deal (where a publicly- ‘Wegovy’. Demand for the latter, which Announcement of the deal comes the company’s fi ve global R&D centres and biologics. could potentially select from a library
traded company is converted into is approved in the US for treating obesity, fi ve months after Catalent, pressed and sits within the booming life sciences of off-the-shelf patient-ready therapies
private ownership). In a related trans- has greatly exceeded supply, forcing by activist investor Elliott Investment corridor in Maryland. With close proxi- Ms. Pam Cheng, Executive Vice already developed from the cells of
action, Novo Nordisk has agreed pay Novo Nordisk to restrict access. Management, began a business re- mity to several universities, the life President of Global Operations & IT healthy donors.

164 Chemical Weekly February 20, 2024 Chemical Weekly February 20, 2024 165

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