Letters: June 2020

BBC news recently highlighted a growing shortage of muscle relaxants, also known as neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBs). These pharmaceuticals are essential for anyone requiring ventilation and their continued supply will be critical for hospitals to deal with Covid-19.

We are a group of largely retired and late-career synthetic organic chemists that researched and discovered steroidal NMBs and related products for use in hospitals. To our knowledge these pharmaceuticals are only produced outside of the UK (probably at the Diosynth/Merck plant in the Netherlands and by generic companies) and a continued supply may therefore be problematic during the pandemic. To alleviate NMB issues associated with prolonged ventilation we would be keen to offer our knowledge and expertise to any coordinated response by the RSC and/or government.

The following points merit consideration: stockpiling dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) or epiandrosterone, the raw starting materials for synthesis of steroidal NMBs; new production and packaging of NMBs within the UK; and employing longer-lasting NMBs like pancuronium bromide to treat Covid-19 patients.

The pandemic is now highlighting the cost to the UK of losing our pharma R&D capability over the last 30 years. We hope the RSC will forward this letter to the relevant government authority for consideration, and collate this with related examples to convince the government of the need to invest in pharma R&D and manufacturing, and more broadly life sciences in the post-pandemic world. Can the RSC do more to win such arguments in the next 30 years?

Niall Hamilton CChem MRSC
On behalf of Organon Synthetic Chemists