Europeans kick-start sustainable pharmaceuticals project
The largest public-private partnership in Europe, which seeks to develop and produce sustainable pharmaceuticals, got off the ground recently. Led by The University of Manchester in the United Kingdom and GlaxoSmithKline, one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies, the CHEM21 project has received more than EUR 26 million, a part of which comes from the European Union. The CHEM21 consortium, which is composed of 13 universities and 4 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), seeks to develop sustainable biological and chemical alternatives to finite materials, including precious metals. Scientists and companies are using precious metals as catalysts in the production of medicines. According to the CHEM21 team, integrating biotechnology into the pharmaceutical production processes will limit the drain on the world's resources, which in turn will help protect the environment. 'This is a unique opportunity for academic groups to work alongside pharmaceutical companies and specialist SMEs to develop innovative catalytic processes for pharmaceutical synthesis,' said Professor Nicholas Turner of The University of Manchester. 'We believe that challenging problems of this nature are best solved on a pan-European basis by bringing together under one roof the combined expertise of many groups to establish a world-class research hub in catalysis and sustainable chemical synthesis.' The project partners will create a European research hub that will provide latest information on green chemistry. They will also develop training packages that will give future scientists the means to ensure they understand the principles of sustainable manufacturing. Said John Baldoni of GlaxoSmithKline: 'Improving the sustainability of our drug manufacturing processes through collaborations such as CHEM21 will not only reduce our industry's carbon footprint, but will provide savings that can be reinvested in the development of new medicines, increase access to medicines through cost reduction and drive innovations that will simplify and transform our manufacturing paradigm.' Other project partners are from Belgium, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Finland and the United Kingdom.For more information, please visit: CHEM21: http://www.chem21.leeds.ac.uk./ The University of Manchester: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/
Countries
Belgium, Germany, France, Netherlands, United Kingdom