Innovation as the Driver of Green Chemistry Advances in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Dr. Joseph Armstrong

The green chemistry revolution is leading the way in reorienting society toward an economy based on sustainable feedstocks, renewable energy, biodegradable and non-toxic products, and processes based on recycling and waste minimization.

Leadership of the green chemistry revolution will require focused investment in new technology and innovative chemistry. Collaboration between academia, technology companies, and industry is critical to identify, develop, and realize advances in emerging technologies and pioneering chemistry as the foundation of green chemistry.

This talk will highlight the development of an environmentally benign alternative manufacturing route to sitagliptin, the active pharmaceutical ingredient in JANUVIA®. Merck and Codexis have collaborated to discover and develop a transaminase capable of catalyzing the production of chiral amine from a complex ketone precursor in high yield and nearly perfect enantioselectivity. The new process has significant advantages over the current route including a reduction in unit operations, reaction volumes, and waste streams.