Phillip Broadwith

Chemical notation is worth spending some time on, given the enormous amount of implicit information embedded in even the simplest structural drawings. But we also need good translation for machines to understand the many assumptions underlying these scribbles. www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/lear...

A US lawsuit against Syngenta alleges that atrazine herbicide caused a man's cancer, & that Syngenta knew atrazine increased cancer risk, and failed to warn users. That’s a serious allegation, but the case rests on some nuances of regulation and risk assessment www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/us-a...

As Henri Kagan & Kensō Soai are lauded with the 2026 Nobel prize in chemistry, we’re excited to bring you a special webinar tomorrow to unpack the research. Register to join us 3pm UK time here: #Nobel #ChemNobel #ChemSky #catalysis @nobelprize.org @rsc.org www.chemistryworld.com/webinars/nob...

While medicines are officially exempted from US sanctions on Iran, wider restrictions have stifled imports. Regulatory complexity in Japan means many drugs never get approved, while price and value for money affect which drugs get used in different countries www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/sanc...

Ineos is halting production at its UK acetic acid, acetic anhydride and ethyl acetate plants. According to the company, these are some of the most efficient in the world, but cannot compete because UK gas prices are 8-12 times higher than in the US or China. www.chemistryworld.com/news/ineos-t...

Data is the lifeblood of an AI model, and some of the best data on how proteins bind to molecules is held by pharma companies. Using that data makes better models. But companies don't want to give up their proprietary data to train an AI without safeguards. www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/feed...

2 incidents at uni labs - a student death from HF exposure in Japan, and a potential exposure to dimethylmercury in the US - give us a stark reminder that chemists sometimes have to work with hazardous materials, and safety should be paramount. www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/dead...

Not every problem has an AI solution, but there certainly are areas where well-designed tools can have an impact. Chemistry is rooted in the physical world, and there are holes in the data needed to build reliable models. But those holes are closing over time. www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/arti...

The rumoured megamerger between AstraZeneca and Bristol Myers Squibb has evaporated. This is almost certainly a good thing - while pharma megamergers can look good from a finance viewpoint, they rarely have positive outcomes for R&D. www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/mess...

Donald Trump has threatened to introduce punitive import tariffs on generic medicines in 2 years' time. If it happens, will it encourage a build-out of US manufacturing? I suspect not, and that generics will simply become more expensive or less available. www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/trum...

Closures of plants processing plastic waste into feedstocks for new polymers highlights the difficulty of scaling a functioning process into a viable business - without policy and investment in collection, sorting etc, it can't compete with fossil plastic www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/wher...

Thermo Fisher's manipulated antibody verification data highlights the sensitive relationship and expectations between suppliers and customers. If Thermo wants to regain customers' trust, it must be open and honest about the problem and its proposed solutions. www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/trus...

Incidents at US chemical plants that involve serious injuries or deaths seem to be increasing. Identifying why is hard, but now is not the time to be relaxing safety regulations, or dismantling the ways companies understand the causes and learn from them. www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/is-i...

Paraquat herbicides are banned in the EU, but still exported from there to countries where they are not banned. Does the EU, as campaigners argue, have a responsiblity to protect users elsewhere from products it has deemed harmful enough to ban? www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/shou...

GSK's $10bn purchase of US cancer biotech Nuvalent brings two late-stage lung cancer drug candidates: zidesamtinib and neladalkib. These 2 kinase inhibitors bolster GSK's efforts to rebuild a cancer pipeline after selling off its cancer business in 2014. www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/gsk-...

China is the EU’s 2nd-largest trading partner for goods after the US, making their relationship hugely important and politically influential. EU leaders are considering more rules to protect against cheap Chinese imports of chemicals and pharmaceuticals. www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/how-...

The UK government plans to nationalise British Steel after siezing control from its' Chinese owners. Steel's struggles with high energy and operating costs, and competition from cheap imports, mirror those of many of the UK's basic chemical plants. www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/brit...

Shortages of road-building bitumen are disrupting major infrastructure projects; cylinder cooking gas scarcity is pushing households and hospitality to dirtier alternative fuels, and a looming crisis in jet fuel means hundreds of cancelled flights. www.chemistryworld.com/news/iran-wa...

A US court sentenced Purdue Pharma to pay criminal penalties for mismarketing of OxyContin (oxycodone). The ruling is the last step before Purdue can enter bankruptcy, settling lawsuits with state, local and tribal governments & thousands of individuals. www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/purd...

The infrastructure, momentum and mindset around animal testing means that even demonstrably superior technology struggles to displace it. If regulators in eg the EU accept non-animal tests, but US doesn't, then companies will still do the animal tests. www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/majo...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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-...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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...

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...

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...

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 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-...

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...

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...

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 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...

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...

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...

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...