Key green chemistry research areas—a perspective from pharmaceutical manufacturers

The perspective of pharmaceutical manufacturers toward key green chemistry research areas, was discussed. The American Chemical Society (ACS) Green Chemistry Institute (GCI) and the global pharmaceutical corporations developed the ACS GCI Pharmaceutical Roundtable to encourage the integration of green chemistry and green engineering into the pharmaceutical industry. A call for research proposals was made in November 2006 and the response from the academic community was outstanding, with 32 research proposals received with 1 month. Development of efficient detergents acceptable for active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) equipment and research toward making vessel-cleaning solvent less in commercial setting would have a major impact on reducing the environmental impact of pharmaceutical processes.