Mexico  |  Swine FluThe news comes a day after the World Health Organization WHO officially declared a pandemic and

Mexico  |  Swine FluThe news comes a day after the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared a pandemic and cautioned governments to prepare for a long-term battle against the new virus.Baxter said it received an A/H1N1 strain from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in May and has been working to develop a pandemic vaccine for use as early as July.A number of national public health authorities have agreements with Baxter that allow them to place orders for a vaccine now that a pandemic has been declared by WHO, Baxter said.Baxter said it would also work with WHO to allocate a portion of the company's commercial vaccine production to address global public health issues deemed most urgent.The company, which said it has completed testing and evaluation of the virus, is developing the vaccine using cell technology. Traditional flu vaccines are made using chicken eggs and typically take some six months to produce.Baxter said it believes its Vero cell technology will allow for much more rapid production and delivery of pandemic flu vaccine.The company plans to submit the A/H1N1 vaccine for approval upon completion of initial manufacturing runs.A/H1N1 flu strain was first discovered in Mexico and has rapidly spread. There have been 28,774 confirmed cases of the virus in 74 countries with 144 deaths, according to WHO's latest tally of laboratory-confirmed cases. It is believed that tests have turned up only a fraction of the true number of cases of the virus.(Reporting by Bill Berkrot; Editing by Gary Hill) Mexico Swine Flu.

Moves Will Improve Service and EfficiencyCOLUMBUS, Ohio--(Business Wire)--Hexion Specialty Chemicals announced today that it is realigning its NorthAmerican composite resins and coatings manufacturing operations to enhanceservice to customers while improving efficiency and managing costs. As part of the realignment, Hexion will be modifying its manufacturing anddistribution operations in Lynwood, California. Its plant in Carpentersville,Illinois, will be structured to focus on producing coatings and other specialtyproducts. Production of base composite resins and certain coatings currently made at theselocations will be transferred to Hexion plants in Roebuck, S.C., Ennis, Texas,and Forest Park, Georgia, which currently make similar composite resins andcoatings products. In addition, the company also recently announced the business will move itscustomer service group to existing centers in Gahanna, Ohio, and Springfield,Oregon, to further enhance its operations. "These changes will enable Hexion to simplify our operations and improve overallend-to-end service to our customers," said Robert Nosal, Vice President, GlobalDispersions for Hexion.

"We will be investing in these facilities to facilitatethis realignment and further position our operations for growth as the economyrecovers." Nosal noted that the changes will not interrupt Hexion`s operations or servicesand that the transition should be completed by the end of the first quarter of2010. About Hexion Specialty ChemicalsBased in Columbus, Ohio, Hexion Specialty Chemicals serves the global wood andindustrial markets through a broad range of thermoset technologies, specialtyproducts and technical support for customers in a diverse range of applicationsand industries. Hexion Specialty Chemicals is controlled by an affiliate ofApollo Management, L.P. Additional information is available at Forward Looking StatementsCertain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements withinthe meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, andSection 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. In addition, themanagement of Hexion Specialty Chemicals, Inc.

(which may be referred to as"Hexion," "we," "us," "our" or the "Company") may from time to time make oralforward-looking statements. Forward looking statements may be identified by thewords "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project," "plan," "estimate," "will"or "intend" or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements reflect ourcurrent views about future events and are based on currently availablefinancial, economic and competitive data and on our current business plans.Actual results could vary materially depending on risks and uncertainties thatmay affect our markets, services, prices and other factors as discussed in our2008 Annual Report on Form 10-K, and our other filings, with the Securities andExchange Commission (SEC). Important factors that could cause actual results todiffer materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, but arenot limited to: economic factors such as the current credit crises and economicdownturn and their related impact on liquidity and an interruption in the supplyof or increased pricing of raw materials due to natural disasters; competitivefactors such as pricing actions by our competitors that could affect ouroperating margins; and regulatory factors such as changes in governmentalregulations involving our products that lead to environmental and legal mattersas described in our 2008 Annual Report on Form 10-K, and our other reports, withthe SEC. Investors:Hexion Specialty Chemicals, Inc.John Kompa, 614-225-2223Director, Investor orMedia:Hexion Specialty Chemicals, Inc.Peter F. Loscocco, 614-225-4127Vice President, Public Copyright Business Wire 2009.