Compliance with GMP is a necessary condition for drug authorization however the scrutiny that it demands can pose local engineering and chemistry issues because process chemists are under increasing pressure to deliver products. Catalytic reactions using metals such as Pd, Pt, Ru and Rh, are becoming more popular due to their atom economy and greener credentials. However FDA and EMEA guidance is becoming increasingly challenging to meet. Classical methods to removal metals, such as recrystallization, distillation or extraction are energy intensive or may be irreproducible. Carbon adsorption is popular however, there is a significant risk of API loss depending on the product structure, and carbon can consume a lot of reactor space.
Metal scavenger approaches are gaining in popularity due to generic methodology and reproducible and efficient function however there is a lack of understanding on how to best implement scavengers in a process. We present key findings and also compare carbon to metal scavengers, looking at both removal of palladium and subsequent recovery of product.
Literature number: P148
Published: Dec 6, 2025 11:30:56 PM
