The Pd EnCat(TM) product group is designed to help life science companies find easier, cheaper and cleaner routes to new products and is a key enabling technology in the emerging field of supported reagents and catalysts.
The technology has applications across pharmaceutical and agrochemicals discovery, development and manufacturing.
In discovery applications, Pd EnCat(TM) technology allows the "cleaner chemistry" benefits of reduced toxic metal contamination in new product candidates, as well as easy materials handling and higher throughput from process automation. Products can also be used in flow processing applications.
In commercial scale applications, Pd EnCat(TM) can reduce solvent consumption and waste and improve catalyst recovery, re-use and re-cycling. The highly versatile technology enables the palladium content and ligand type, as well as the bead size and structure, to be tailored exclusively to suit a particular chemical process for customers.
Pd EnCat(TM) recently won the 2004 "Innovation of the Year" Award from the UK's Chemical Industries Association (CIA).
The Pd EnCat(TM) line will be available from Sigma-Aldrich on August 13, 2004 and is web searchable.
"Response to Pd EnCat(TM) in customer trials has been excellent. The agreement with Sigma-Aldrich puts a major distribution network in place to build on this," said Avecia Pharmaceuticals' Vice President, Dr. Pete Jackson. "Sigma-Aldrich's expertise will also help prioritize the planned extension of the product range for the benefit of their extensive customer base."
"The advantages gained through Pd EnCat(TM) are clear and the performance is well-documented," said Dr. Chris Hewitt, Director of Business Development for Chemistry at Sigma-Aldrich. "Sigma-Aldrich looks forward to partnering with Avecia in providing and growing this leading-edge technology."
Key advantages of Pd EnCat(TM) include: -- Very low residual metal and ligand levels in final product -- Ease of recovery by filtration -- Efficiency and economy gains through ease of re-use and re-cycling -- High selectivity in hydrogenation and transfer hydrogenation reactions -- Excellent levels of activity in C-C bond forming reactions -- Tailoring of catalyst properties for specific processes
Pd EnCat(TM) was first commercialized by Avecia following a highly successful research collaboration with Professor Steven Ley from Cambridge University and teams from Syngenta and AstraZeneca.
The technology has attracted strong interest and initial sales since its formal European market launch by Avecia Pharmaceuticals at last autumn's CPhI show.
About Sigma-Aldrich: Sigma-Aldrich is a leading Life Science and High Technology company. Our biochemical and organic chemical products and kits are used in scientific and genomic research, biotechnology, pharmaceutical development, the diagnosis of disease and chemical manufacturing. We have customers in life science companies, university and government institutions, hospitals, and in industry. Over one million scientists and technologists use our products. Sigma-Aldrich operates in 34 countries and has 6,000 employees providing excellent service worldwide. We are committed to the success of our Customers, Employees and Shareholders through leadership in Life Science, High Technology and Service. For more information about Sigma-Aldrich, please visit our award-winning web site at http://sigma-aldrich.com/ .
About Avecia: Avecia is a global fine and specialty chemical company operating in the business segments of biotechnology, chemicals and NeoResins. The company reported 2003 sales of pounds Sterling 485m and employs 2,500 people across 15 sites in the UK, Europe, North America and Japan. See http://www.avecia.com/ .
About Avecia Pharmaceuticals: Avecia Pharmaceuticals is focused on technology and manufacture of pharmaceutical intermediates, for both clinical trials and launched products. It has major UK facilities in Huddersfield and Grangemouth and a North American facility in Ontario, Canada.
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© 2004 PR Newswire
