Catalysis in Medicine and Pharmaceuticals

The application of catalysis in medicine and pharmaceuticals is transforming drug discovery and manufacturing, offering more sustainable and efficient pathways for the production of therapeutic compounds. Catalysts, both homogeneous and heterogeneous, are widely used to accelerate chemical reactions, enhance selectivity, and reduce the environmental impact of drug synthesis. One of the most notable contributions of catalysis in the pharmaceutical industry is in the production of chiral drugs, where enantioselective catalysis is employed to selectively produce one enantiomer of a molecule, ensuring the therapeutic efficacy and minimizing potential side effects. This is particularly important in the synthesis of complex drugs, such as antibiotics, analgesics, and anticancer agents, where the stereochemistry of the molecule is crucial to its biological activity. Furthermore, catalytic processes can simplify synthetic routes by reducing the number of reaction steps, leading to fewer by-products and less waste.