LAURENT PICHON
MEPI, Plateforme SAFRAN HERAKLES – Chemin de la Loge
CS27813 F-31078 Toulouse Cedex 4, France

Abstract

The recent flow chemistry market, offer, and regulatory trends are displayed in the light of experts comments. Moving demand is pushing the equipment makers to adapt themselves quickly and efficiently leading to an innovative and interactive Innovation

A MARKET/PERCOLATION MATRIX

The concept of flow chemistry has been promoted for more than one decade now, not only through the organization of specific scientific symposiums, but with an increasing and self-adapting offer of innovative equipments available on the market at various scales. A need for an up-dated picture of where this technology breakthrough stands, naturally emerged.

To more accurately figure out the current flow chemistry scene, a questionnaire was sent out to both chemical companies and equipment manufacturers. All the participants, with no exception, mentioned a positive trend in the adoption of continuous intensified processes. This trend is more visible since a couple of years.

All markets do not respond the same way. The first segment to taste the flow chemistry was obviously the pharmaceutical industry. The commissioning by GSK at the beginning of this year of a fully continuous process for API manufacturing is the result of a decade of human and technical investments said Andrew Rutter. Most of the big pharmaceutical companies have reached a well advanced point in the knowledge of flow.
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