Jul 5 2007
Daicel Chemical Industries, Ltd. and Groupe Novasep SAS, announce the formation of a strategic technical co-operation aimed at streamlining the use of chiral chromatography to manufacture late-stage clinical and commercial chiral intermediates and APIs.
Under the terms of the agreement, the companies will cooperate to develop the most time and cost-effective solution for the manufacture of chiral compounds for customers in the pharmaceutical and custom manufacturing industry. Daicel and its subsidiaries, Chiral Technologies Europe SAS and Chiral Technologies Inc., will identify the best chiral stationary phase from their extensive library of commercial and developmental chiral stationary phases (CSP’s). Novasep Process will provide process optimisation services, using its unique computer simulation software and full process development with its advanced technologies such as Varicol® continuous chromatography process. The intended result of this combined approach is to deliver guaranteed scale-up, optimum performance and best economics for large-scale separations.
“Today, several chiral drugs are commercially produced at tons to 100’s tons scale with chromatographic technologies. Such drugs include Pfizer’s Zoloft®, UCB Pharma’s Keppra®, Lundbeck’s/Forest Laboratories’ Cipralex®/Lexapro®, and Cephalon’s NuvigilTM” says Jean Blehaut, President of Novasep Process’ Pharma Business Unit. “But the pharmaceutical industry is just discovering the potential of chiral chromatography to bring NCEs to the market faster. The existing commercial projects have demonstrated that it is often cheaper to produce single enantiomeric drugs with chromatography rather than use traditional technologies such as crystallization and/or asymmetric synthesis. Jean Blehaut continues: “The time is right to join forces in the field of large scale chiral chromatography to more rapidly develop this technology for the industry”...