Noven Pharmaceuticals - Competitors

Noven Pharmaceuticals Competition

Now Viewing Noven Pharmaceuticals's competition in: Chemicals (primary)

Recent Developments

FDA Concludes Bisphenol A Safe - In a recent news release, the FDA said that its scientists concluded that bisphenol A, a chemical used in baby bottles, canned food, and hundreds of other consumer items, poses no danger. Concern about the chemical, which is similar to estrogen, was initially voiced by the National Toxicology Program. The FDA then revisited its initial investigation into bisphenol A's safety. Bisphenol A is used to harden plastics and seal canned food.

Chemical Prices Surge - Producer prices for various classes of chemicals and allied products rose markedly in July 2008 compared to a year earlier. Agricultural chemical prices increased 63 percent, while basic inorganic chemical prices rose 41 percent. Plastic resin and agricultural insecticide saw more modest growth with price increases of 19 percent and 13 percent, respectively. High fuel prices are contributing to chemical product price increases.

US Exports, Imports Rise - US exports of chemicals increased 16 percent in the first six months of 2008 compared to a year earlier; US chemical imports grew 13 percent. Chemical exports rose in 13 of the US' 15 largest markets. The strongest area of demand was for pesticides, which experienced 71 percent growth; pesticide exports to India surged 592 percent. US chemical products are more attractive in foreign markets due to the weak dollar.

Competitive Landscape

Demand is driven by the health of the US economy because chemicals are used to make a wide variety of industrial and consumer products. The profitability of individual companies is closely tied to efficient operations. Big companies have large economies of scale in production. Small companies can compete effectively by producing specialty products, of which there are a large number, or by operating a single plant highly efficiently. The industry is highly automated: average annual revenue per employee is over $500,000.

Full Industry Overview For Chemicals

Chemicals Industry Forecast

from Hoover's/D&B subsidiary First Research

The output of US chemicals is forecast to grow at an annual compounded rate of 4.9 percent between 2008 and 2013.

Chemical Manufacturing Growth Volatile

First Research forecasts are based on INFORUM forecasts that are licensed from the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc. (IERF) in College Park, MD. INFORUM's "interindustry-macro" approach to modeling the economy captures the links between industries and the aggregate economy.