Iran ceasefire is the start of a long recovery process Conflict's impact on global energy and chemicals supply chains will take significantly longer to resolve

The fragile US-Iran ceasefire is welcome. But the war's impact on chemicals supply chains will continue.
The trickle of ships from the Gulf will take weeks to reach their destinations. And damage to Gulf infrastructure will take months to years to repair.
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/iran...

India’s generic semaglutide surge As patents on Novo Nordisk's diabetes and weight loss blockbusters expire, generic makers have their versions ready

Indian patents protecting Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide (Ozempic/Wegovy) expired on 20 March.
India's patent laws, expertise in generic manufacturing, and growing demand for diabetes and weight-loss medication provide huge opportunity for generic drugmakers
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/indi...

Chemical recycling of plastics rises as oil crisis continues Recovering feedstocks from hard-to-recycle plastic is potentially important in a more circular plastic economy

The US–Israeli conflict with Iran has created a crisis in fossil polymer feedstocks. So recent expansions in oils from chemically recycled waste plastic are welcome news.
While still in its infancy, regulation around tracking recycled content is taking shape.
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/chem...

Widening impact of conflict in Iran Deyond hydrocarbons, helium and sulfur - byproducts of petroleum extraction - have also been critically affected by Iran's blockade of Gulf exports

As the US–Israeli offensive on Iran continues, its impact on chemicals trade has also intensified. The most obvious effect is on petrochemicals, but around 1/3 of the world’s helium supply and 44% of global elemental sulfur production is also cut off. www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/wide...

Huge numbers of low-carbon hydrogen production projects get announced, only to quietly disappear.
Are cancellations correcting over-optimism? Or were some merely commitments of convenience – buying time on reducing emissions on the promise of hydrogen gains?
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/hydr...

Are food colour clashes worth the worry? Calling artificial colours 'petroleum-based poisons' plays to popular fears, not necessarily evidence

Food colourings quite neatly encapsulate many cultural clashes over the nature and safety of substances. Is a ‘natural’ colour safer or better than a synthetic one? Do high-dose hazards translate to real risks of harm? Where should regulators draw the line?
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/are-...

Moderna’s vaccine regulatory hokey-cokey It has been a dramatic week for mRNA vaccine-maker Moderna and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). On 10 February, the FDA told Moderna that it would not accept the company's application for a ...

On 10 February, the US FDA told Moderna that it would not accept the company’s application for a new influenza vaccine – with senior leaders reportedly overruling FDA staff. A week later, the FDA has reversed its decision and is accepting the drug for review.

www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/mode...

Slimming down competition over weight-loss drugs Legal battle between Novo Nordisk and US compounding pharmacy Hims & Hers has fizzled after regulator intervention

US compounder Hims&Hers attempted to undercut Novo Nordisk's recently approved Wegovy (semaglutide) weight-loss tablets. Novo threatened a lawsuit & the FDA launched a crackdown on compounded weight-loss drugs, leading Hims to withdraw its tablets from sale.
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/slim...

Probing PFAS policies in the UK and EU The UK has set out its approach to regulating fluorochemicals, and the EU has projected the savings from a proposed ban

The UK now has a plan for regulating PFAS fluorochemicals, and the EU has projected savings from its proposed ban. The UK will increase monitoring and work with industry to restrict non-essential applications. But campaigners say the UK isn't going far enough.
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/prob...

Carbon border taxes may do more harm than good Industry argues UK proposals are flawed and will not promote decarbonisation

The UK’s steel, cement and chemicals industries have warned that – in its current form – the carbon border tax due to be introduced in 2027 will accelerate the decline of domestic industry. Flaws in the plans mean it may not have the desired effects.
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/carb...

Trump’s attack on science is shaking industry’s foundations By dismantling scientific enterprise, the US risks 'taking a hammer to our miracle machine'

Donald Trump’s US government has spent the last year dismantling the country’s scientific research and regulatory functions. Academic and industry scientists alike are concerned about what this means for the future of US innovation.

www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/trum...

Plastic recycling’s perfect storm Pending policies that demand more recycling cannot offset problems of high costs and competition from cheap virgin polymers

Plastic recycling in Europe should be ramping up to meet the demands of impending regulations. Instead, plants are closing.
Cheap virgin polymers, high energy prices and patchy policy make it cost-effective to just use virgin polymer and pay the penalties.
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/plas...

Reprieve for Grangemouth ethylene UK government agrees £150 million deal to support the country's last ethylene production plant

The UK government has agreed £150 million in support for the Grangemouth industrial complex, home of the UK’s last ethylene production plant. But with little prospect of near-term ethylene market improvement, is this enough to save a strategic UK industry?
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/repr...

A unifying force for African medicines The new African Medicines Agency is hugely important but faces significant challenges

The African Medicines Agency is enormously important. Harmonising regulatory pathways and building development and testing capability could mean more medicines reach African populations, and fewer counterfeits and substandard drugs make it through the net.
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/a-un...

Ineos asks EU to intervene over ‘unfair’ chemical imports Group says 10 key chemicals are being dumped cheaply, harming domestic industry

For more on this topic, see Anthony King's deeper dive into dumping in the EU for @chemistryworld.com www.chemistryworld.com/news/ineos-a...

Changing the rules of global chemicals trade Chemical dumping claims reflect US and China's focus on national interests ahead of global markets

‘The US is no longer playing by the rules [and] China has not been playing by the rules for some time.’ If large chunks of the global chemicals market start playing by different rules, European governments and industry need to respond quickly.
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/chan...

One medical inhaler can have the impact of 30kg of carbon dioxide Propellants in asthma inhalers produce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to driving 200 miles, yet most healthcare systems overlook this climate impact. New low-carbon alternatives are in development, Andy Extance reports, but barriers remain

For more on efforts to reduce inhaler greenhouse gas emissions, see this excellent feature by @andyextance.bsky.social www.chemistryworld.com/features/one...

Inhaler propellant switch is worth the effort Memories of a year spent testing new inhaler valve designs

I spent my gap year investigating valve designs for aerosol asthma inhalers. Hours of firing inhalers into bespoke lab apparatus gave an insight into how changes like swapping the propellant might require much more involved changes to the inhaler design. www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/inha...

A robotic helping hand Mechanical labmates are making huge progress, but there are still big challenges to overcome

Drug discovery/development is a numbers game. We need to make and test lots of compounds, running lots of routine reactions. There's huge opportunity for automation, but building a robot capable of tasks a human chemist performs is still a huge challenge.
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/a-ro...

Pfizer and Novo Nordisk’s battle over Metsera Lawsuits fly in bidding war over developer of next generation weight loss drugs

Pfizer and Novo Nordisk are in a bidding war over Metsera – a US biotech developing new weight loss drugs. Both suitors have upped their offers to around $10 billion, but Metsera says Novo's 'superior' offer could allow it to break its agreement with Pfizer.
www.chemistryworld.com/news/pfizer-...

Spin-out support is stretched thin University entrepreneurs need more consistent help to bridge the gap betweeen ideas and businesses

While large companies and investors still have funds to commit to spin-outs, they tend to be looking for fewer, higher value deals. That means start-ups need to be more developed, so they need more consistent support - both financial and in building expertise
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/spin...

Going round in circles over skills Closing skills gaps in key professional groups requires collaboration between government, industry and educators

The future materials economy must be more circular, and we need people with the right skills to make that happen. There are skills gaps in key industries, which will take pro-active and collaborative action from industry, government and educators to address.
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/goin...

Have MOFs now made it? Will Nobel prize speed porous materials to commercial success?

The Nobel prize for metal-organic frameworks has been predicted for several years, even without much commercial presence. With several materials now at or close to commercial scale, perhaps the Nobel will provide the impetus for MOFs to have real-world impact.
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/have...

BASF builds one of world’s largest industrial heat pumps. I told Chemistry World:

“BASF is the largest chemical company in the world. Putting its weight behind heat pumps at this scale signals confidence in the technology in the chemicals sector and beyond.”

www.chemistryworld.com/news/basf-be...

Trump steps up pharma tariff threat Taxing branded drug imports could hit biotech innovators hardest

Trump is threatening punitive tariffs on patented and branded medicines, unless they build US manufacturing plants. That might look like an attempt to coerce multinationals to invest but that view belies the complexity of the industry and its supply chains.
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/trum...

A global petrochemical shift China's rapid capacity expansion fuels global oversupply, leading plant closures in Europe and elsewhere

The global petrochemicals landscape is shifting. China's massive capacity expansion aimed at reducing imports has left producers elsewhere with oversupply, leading to low prices, squeezed margins, and closure of plants with higher costs - mainly in Europe.

www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/a-gl...

Is UK pharma really ‘uninvestable’? Merck & Co, AstraZeneca (AZ) and Eli Lilly pulling UK projects highlights the precarious position of the country's life sciences industry

Pharma leaders have branded the UK 'uninvestable' as Merck & Co, AstraZeneca and Eli Lilly have canceled or paused R&D investments. But they also recognise the UK's world-class research base, meaning it should be possible to tip the balance back again. www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/is-u...

UK biofuels burning out With UK plants facing closure, what are the options and issues around different renewable fuels?

With UK plants facing closure, what are the options and issues around different renewable fuels? Dropping US tariffs means corn-derived ethanol imports are cheaper than domestic sugarbeet crops, while biodiesel and other options face similar issues

www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/uk-b...

Deadly fentanyl contamination exposes drug safety challenges Bacterial conatmination in medical fentanyl has killed at least 51 people in Argentina, highlighting pressures on generic drugmakers

Argentina's medical fentanyl contamination tragedy has left over 50 people dead. Bacterial contamination of drugs is generally accidental, and normally intercepted, but the consequences of tradeoffs that make safeguards more likely to fail are devastating.
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/dead...

Will oral weight loss drugs challenge injectables? Pills may offer convenience for manufacturers, but it's not clear they will overtake existing drugs

Diabetes/weight loss peptide injectables - Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic/Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro/Zepbound - are incredibly successful, with potentially even more promising peptides in the pipeline. So why the rush to replace them with pills?

www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/will...