Hubbard and Jarvis talk oligonucleotides in BioPharm International
Nov 30, 2023
The oligonucleotide industry continues to grow at a rapid pace. Given the relatively small quantities of drug substance produced compared to, for example, products at an industrial chemical manufacturing facility, one might assume only limited volumes of solvents would be required. However, solid-phase oligonucleotide synthesis (SPOS) and downstream processing of oligos uses significant quantities of hazardous materials. It takes roughly 3000–7000 L of flammable liquids to produce 1 kg of drug substance.
As oligo manufacturers scale up production from lab-scale to clinical and commercial scales to meet industry demand, they are likely to require volumes of hazardous materials that drive additional facility design considerations for code and regulatory compliance.