Vertellus Expanding B3 Market

INDIANAPOLISVertellus Specialties announced a price increase of 7 percent to 13 percent for vitamin B3 for the human nutrition markets, effective immediately for non-contract customers or as existing contracts allow. Vitamin B3 for the animal nutrition markets will remain at Q4 pricing levels for the first quarter of 2008.

The price increases will support capital investments to grow the global capacity for vitamin B3 production. Vertellus (Vertellus.com) recently completed expansions of its U.S. capacity for producing beta picoline (the key starting material for Vitamin B3) by 30 percent and 3-cyano pyridine (the intermediate step) by 15 percent. Work on increasing vitamin B3 capacity (the final production step) by 10 to 15 percent at both Vertellus Indianapolis and Antwerp, Belgium, plants will be completed early next year.