Sustainable route design for pharmaceuticals: Why, how and when

摘要

Process technology appears to get increasing attention in the whole process of pharmaceutical development. Although the contribution of an efficient manufacturing process to the success and profit of a large pharmaceutical appears small, this contribution is significant when it comes to sustainable manufacturing. Here an efficient process helps to lower environmental impact at the site of production and allows production beyond the patent life of a product. The design and scale-up of a sustainable process comprises route design, use of state-of the art chemical methods and also state-of-the-art process technology such as continuous manufacturing by intensified processes. DSM has developed a set of competences in these fields. Examples and metrics related to the sustainability of the described processes are given.