An easier way to synthesize new drug candidates
Some drugs may be more effective the longer they last inside the body. To prevent such drugs from being broken down too rapidly, pharmaceutical manufacturers often attach a fluorine-containing structure called a trifluoromethyl group. However, the processes now used require harsh reaction conditions or only work in a small number of cases, limiting their usefulness for synthesizing new drug candidates for testing.Now, MIT chemists have designed a new way to attach a trifluoromethyl group to certain compounds, which they believe could allow pharmaceutical companies to create and test new drugs much faster and potentially reduce the cost of drug discovery.The new synthesis, reported in the June 25 issue of Science, should have an immediate impact, says David MacMillan, a Princeton University chemistry professor who was not involved in the research. “Overnight, people are going to start using this chemistry,” says MacMillan. “Every single person in the pharmaceutical industry who makes...