Medical intermediates are important raw materials for pharmaceutical production. It refers to a class of intermediates that form chemical or biological products with certain pharmacological or biological activity through processes such as chemical, biosynthetic, and biological fermentation of synthetic raw materials to meet clinical drug needs.

Pharmaceutical Intermediates are the Bridge of the Pharmaceutical Industry

Pharmaceutical intermediates are compounds that undergo a series of chemical reactions in the pharmaceutical process, but have not yet become the final drug. They are usually intermediate products in the synthetic pharmaceutical process, used to synthesize the final active drug molecules.

Pharmaceutical intermediates play a crucial role in drug development and production, as they serve as a bridge between chemical synthesis and drug activity. The upstream industry of the pharmaceutical intermediate industry is mainly the production of chemical raw materials, while the downstream industry is mainly the pharmaceutical production industry.

What are the Classifications of Pharmaceutical Intermediates?

1. Alkaloids: These intermediates include various alkaloids, such as morphine, codeine, opioids, etc., which usually have pharmacological effects such as pain relief, sedation, and cough relief.

2. Steroids: These intermediates include various steroids such as estradiol, testosterone, progesterone, betamethasone, etc. They are commonly used to treat diseases such as female hormone imbalance and male sexual dysfunction.

3. Antibiotics: These intermediates include various antibiotics, such as penicillin, cephalosporins, sulfonamides, etc. They are usually used to treat infectious diseases.

4. Drug synthesis intermediates: These intermediates are the basic raw materials used to synthesize various drugs, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, etc. They usually have pharmacological effects such as antipyretic, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory.

5. Other categories: In addition to the above-mentioned pharmaceutical intermediates, it also includes various auxiliary drugs, drug metabolites, drug by-products, etc.

What are the Most Promising Varieties of Pharmaceutical Intermediates?

Nucleoside intermediates.

The anti AIDS drug synthesized from this kind of intermediate is mainly zidovudine, which is produced by Glaxo Wellcome and Bristol Myers Squibb.

Cardiovascular intermediates.

Synthetic sartan drugs have become widely used in the treatment of hypertension due to their more thorough antihypertensive effect, fewer side effects, long efficacy (stable control of 24-hour blood pressure), and the ability to be used in combination with other sartan drugs. 

According to data statistics, in 2015, the global demand for major raw materials of sartan drugs (losartan potassium, olmesartan ester, valsartan, irbesartan, telmisartan, candesartan ester) reached 3300 tons. The total sales revenue is 21.063 billion US dollars.

Fluorine containing intermediates.

The fluorinated drugs synthesized from this type of intermediate have rapidly developed in recent years due to their excellent therapeutic effects. In 1970, only 2% of fluorinated drugs were on the market, but by 2013, it had increased to 25%. 

Representative products such as fluoroquinolone antibiotics, antidepressants fluoxetine, and antifungal drugs fluconazole account for a relatively high proportion of clinical use, with fluoroquinolone antibiotics accounting for about 15% of the global market share of antibiotics.

In addition, trifluoroethanol is an important intermediate in the synthesis of anesthetics, while trifluoromethylaniline is an important intermediate in the synthesis of antimalarial drugs, anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs, anti prostate drugs, and antidepressants, with a very broad market prospect.

Heterocyclic intermediates.

With pyridine and piperazine as representatives, they are mainly used to synthesize anti ulcer drugs, bulk stomach drugs, anti-inflammatory and anti infection drugs, highly effective antihypertensive drugs and new anti breast cancer drug letrozole.