Green Chemistry Working Group Featured in C&E News

March 24, 2014

An article by Stephen Ritter published in the March 24, 2014 edition of Chemical and Engineering News, “Recasting Regulatory Strategies To Enable Green Chemistry,” has highlighted efforts by the IQ Green Chemistry Working Group to address perceived challenges to the integration of green chemistry and manufacturing in the pharmaceutical industry.

Ritter’s article notes that the need for reapproval when even simple process changes are made can be seen as a significant barrier to green chemistry implementation, because “new methods, catalysts, solvents, and purification techniques developed by the scientific community can’t easily be incorporated into the locked-in routes.” To ease this challenge, the IQ Consortium has requested greater clarity from FDA about review of green manufacturing process changes, which may provide reassurance about FDA’s support of green chemistry and manufacturing.

The article also links to a document prepared by the IQ Consortium Working Group and FDA, which elaborates on the benefits of green chemistry and discusses regulatory changes that may promote greater adoption of green chemistry and manufacturing.