ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses that process intensification will be dealt with on a broad basis, encompassing both chemical and engineering approaches which produce the same outcome, namely, the cost effective production of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) from a minimized manufacturing footprint. Process intensification is a term which encompasses both equipment-based and chemistry-based approaches to producing more chemical product in the same space or reducing the amount of space needed for a given process. The opportunity for organic chemists, analytical chemists, chemical engineers, and other engineering specialties to change overall pharmaceutical API process performance is significant. The cost of medicines continues to be a challenge for pharmaceutical innovators and generic firms, particularly with respect to those medicines associated with diseases which occur in nations with developing economies. There are significant opportunities for innovation in the area of process intensification as applied to small molecules.