CO2 could simplify pharma processing, say US chemists
pharmafile | March 15, 2011 | News story | |Â Â C02, carbon dioxide, manufacturing techniques, pharma manufacturingÂ
Carbon dioxide could hold the key to a quicker, easier and greener method for manufacturing a range of commonly-used pharmaceuticals, according to US researchers.
The team, led by University of Missouri chemist Jerry Atwood, have developed a technique which uses pressurised carbon dioxide to form crystals of compounds in place of current techniques such as high-temperature heating, raw material altering, washing, filtering, and intensive drying.
Using carbon dioxide can bring about the desired crystallisation “with ease and at normal room temperatures”, according to the researchers, who have published their research in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
The approach has already been demonstrated for compounds such as the antibiotic clarithromycin and lansoprazole for acid reflux disease.
In the case of clarithromycin, for example, using pressurised carbon dioxide to improve crystal formation was able to generate the commercial form “with a huge saving in energy cost relative to industrially employed methods”, write the authors.
For lansoprazole, the technique was able to do away with a cumbersome process involving stirring and intensive drying used to protect a highly-sensitive intermediate form of the drug from degradation.
Atwood believes the discovery has the potential to streamline work flow and provide more safety for those who work with these chemicals.
“I believe this could have huge implications for the pharmaceutical industry”, he said. “In addition to streamlining processes, pressurising gas could circumvent some of the more difficult techniques used on an industrial scale, leading to better pharmaceuticals, more effective treatments and ultimately a lower price.”
Phil Taylor
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