Investor confidence in US oil refineries has dropped due to expectations of softer fuel demand and potential tariffs on crude imports under President-elect Donald Trump, analysts say. Refiners' profits have fallen as new capacity normalizes margins, leading to a 24% drop in fourth-quarter earnings forecasts. Shares of major refiners such as Valero, Phillips 66 and Marathon Petroleum have declined, reflecting these challenges.
Analysts are cutting 2025 earnings forecasts for the chemicals sector due to a weaker-than-anticipated recovery in key markets such as housing, automotive and consumer durables. "The cyclical recovery we had baked into 2025 and 2026 appears likely to be both delayed at least a couple of quarters and less robust, at least initially," said Jefferies analyst Laurence Alexander.
Pharmaceutical companies are increasingly partnering with Chinese biotechs, particularly in antibody-drug conjugates, as China's regulatory environment becomes more favorable and data transparency improves. Recent deals include Roche's $1 billion partnership with Innovent and GSK's $1.7 billion agreement with Hansoh Pharma; however, companies must navigate challenges such as meeting FDA trial diversity standards.
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Chemical engineering professor Xiao Su at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has developed a nanofiltration technique to remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances from semiconductor manufacturing. The process uses electric-field-driven removal without fouling membranes. Chipmakers consider information related to PFAS discharges proprietary.
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Microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are two of the most persistent classes of emerging contaminants in global water systems. Now, new research analyzing landfills and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) reveals that both materials accumulate in WWTP biosolids. Currently, these biosolids are used as agricultural fertilizer, which allows the contaminants to re-enter water systems, thus forcing engineers to re-evaluate how these biosolids are used.
Novo Nordisk has expanded its collaboration with Valo Health, committing $190 million to include obesity and type 2 diabetes in their AI-driven drug discovery efforts. The partnership, initially focused on cardiovascular disease, now spans 20 programs, with potential milestone payments reaching $4.6 billion. Valo's Opal Computational Platform plays a key role in identifying novel drug targets and developing small molecules.
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Johnson & Johnson has announced that its lung cancer regimen, combining Rybrevant and Lazcluze, extends patient survival by at least a year compared with AstraZeneca's Tagrisso. The pivotal trial results show a significant improvement in overall survival, though the J&J treatment has more side effects and requires infusions.
The Environmental Protection Agency has finalized toxicity values for nine types of PFAS, triggering their automatic inclusion in the Toxics Release Inventory under the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. "People have a right to know when facilities in their backyards are releasing toxic chemicals into the environment and with today's action, we are providing important information about nine more," said official Michal Freedhoff.
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