Supercritical Fluid Technology in Pharmaceuticals: An overview

In the past five years research and process development activity has focused on utilizing supercritical carbon dioxide technology in processing fine chemicals, pharmaceutical intermediates and nutraceuticals. In addition to being a solvent for extraction and fractionation (purification) of organic compounds, carbon dioxide is increasingly being utilized as a medium for reactions, as a micronizing agent in rapid expansion in a supercritical solution process (RESS), as an antisolvent for crystallization in gas anti-solvent process (GAS) and as a carrier solvent for coating and depositing materials onto or into a solid matrix. Carbon dioxide technology is one of fastest growing new process technologies being adopted by the food, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. Supercritical fluid technology will allow developing products of standardized concentration of active ingredients, and will simultaneously produce nutraceutical and pharmaceutical products of much higher concentration (higher yields and purity) and quality (with less creation of artifacts), than possible by conventional chemical engineering unit operations, such as liquid and/or gas phase reactions etc.