Flow chemistry surges forward
The long-discussed technique could help make pharma manufacturing more distributed, finds Andy Extance, and create opportunities for chemists with the right skills
For decades, flow chemistry has drawn attention because substances behave differently in a tube than they do in a big tank, and that has practical consequences. Flow processes can produce higher yields, and be safer, cleaner and cheaper to set up and operate. This can reverse manufacturing centralisation and bring the possibility of local manufacturing that Watts raises. Yet the pharmaceutical industry was relatively slow to bring flow chemistry online until 2015. Now driven by regulatory support in the US, flow processes are becoming more commonplace, and chemists with the skills to deliver them are in great demand.