News in brief

Pfizer's new drug to treat impotence, Viagra, has become the fastest-selling drug in history. Doctors wrote over 36000 prescriptions for the drug in its first week on the market in the US more than ten times the usual number for a newly-launched drug.

Pollution credits swap agreed

Japan and Russia have agreed to swap greenhouse gas emission credits the first such agreement since last year's Kyoto environment accord. Japan will help 20 Russian powerstations and factories improve their performance; in return, Japanese industry would be able to emit the amount of gases saved in Russia.

Enzymes agreement

Ponytpridd-based Biocatalysts is to join forces with German firm Sud-Chemie to open up new markets for enzyme catalysts in the chemical industry. The deal includes several 'fast-track joint projects', and a shareholding in Sud-Chemie for the Welsh company. 'With our knowledge of enzymes and their biochemistry, and Sud-Chemie's expertise in the chemical industry, we now have the scope to break into new markets,' comments Biocatalysts md Stuart West.

Degussa in technology sale

Germany's Degussa is to sell its 1,3-propanediol (PDO) technology to DuPont for an undisclosed sum. It is also granting DuPont a licence to use its advanced acrolein technology 'exclusively for use in the manufacture of PDO', and will build and operate a 9000tpa PDO plant for DuPont in Wesseling, Germany, slated for start-up this autumn. Degussa will retain the rights to supply PDO to the fine chemicals and coatings markets.

First-quarter woes for ICI

Problems in Asia wiped some £33million from ICI's first-quarter profits, which nevertheless rose 24 per cent to £87million, mostly thanks to proceeds from disposals and the effect of new acquisitions. Turnover fell by 4 per cent, to £2.3billion. The paints business suffered from competition in the US, mainly due to a price war with Sherwin-Williams. The strength of sterling also had a deleterious effect.