Asymchem: Pioneers in Green Chemistry and Contract Manufacturing

Asymchem is a large USFDA-inspected Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), renowned for its expertise in developing sustainable processes for late-phase to commercial small molecule and peptide Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs).

The contract manufacturer has eight manufacturing facilities spread across China, and delivers “500-600 projects a year, with 50 assets available for western markets,” says Jon Brice, Senior Vice President of Business Development at Asymchem Group.

In this interview with the PharmaSource podcast, Jon explains that what makes Asymchem unique is their two flagship technologies:

• Flow chemistry, where Asymchem is “arguably the world leader” in pharmaceutically relevant flow chemistry.
• Biocatalysis, reactions catalysed by enzymes which are much less toxic than methods using metals.

“If you look at the suite of technology we’ve developed, it’s a toolbox you can’t find at any other CDMO,” Jon adds.

Green Chemistry

Sustainability has become the key focus for the entire pharma industry, according to Jon.

“We interact with 18 of the top 20 market cap pharma companies in the world, and the one topic that comes up at every meeting is sustainability. It’s really started to accelerate over the last 9-12 months.”

Five years ago, sustainability was more of an aspiration. Now, it’s a legitimate interest with real progress being made. Companies are now required to prove their commitment to sustainability, with each having their own scorecard and tracking metrics.

Asymchem’s flagship technologies position them perfectly to deliver value against these sustainability goals.

“1 in 2 projects we do uses a biocatalytic step with an Asymchem enzyme,” Jon explains. Biocatalysts (sometimes called nature’s catalysts) provides a legitimate avenue of progress in making processes greener.

“Flow processes are inherently less polluting as they allow for the recirculation of reactive streams on a small amount of solvent, using less polluting materials. These processes are inherently de-risked, leading to fewer accidents, less flammable material, and less risk of running foul of environmental agencies.

Last year, Asymchem were awarded the inaugural ACS Award for CMO Excellence in Green Chemistry for leveraging innovative manufacturing technologies to deliver sustainable processes.

“The client wanted us to change their existing manufacturing processes to flow chemistry.” says Jon. ” It was their insistence and their driving criteria for vendor selection move away from waste-producing methods and to do this in sustainable way.”