Microreaction for pharmaceutical manufacturing

The trend toward miniaturization of reaction systems for pharmaceutical applications gained strong acceptance in the quest for rapid production of libraries of candidate compounds for the drug discovery process. More slowly to mature, however, has been the implementation of microscale systems for the production of pharmaceutical compounds and intermediates. Microreactors seem like an obvious tool for this use since the most common reaction vessels are batch reactors which possess well-known limitations in heat and mass transport. Various reasons for delays in implementation exist, many of which are non-technical in nature, including regulatory issues. Although the industry has been slow to embrace microreactors, there is presently great interest in many parts. One of the process steps which would appear to be ripe for implementation is hydrogenation, which accounts for a significant fraction of all pharmaceutical processes. As an example, we will describe the work now in progress in our center on this application. The New Jersey Center for Microchemical Systems is situated in near proximity to its collaborators at Bristol-Myers Squibb, and a large cadre of other pharmaceutical researchers and manufacturers. A brief introduction will be given of the two organizations involved in this activity whose relationship could be considered as one model for collaborative interactions between academic and industrial groups. Past work reported by the research community for the use of microreaction in pharmaceutical synthesis applications will also be surveyed.