Minister Jorritsma opens DSM's new antibiotics plant in Delft

01-Nov-2001

By installing a puntbus (a small inoculum vessel), Annemarie Jorritsma, the Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs, today symbolically opened DSM's new plant for the production of 7-ADCA, an intermediate for antibiotics, in Delft, the Netherlands. The process employed at this new plant is based on modern biotechnology developed largely by DSM itself, which has meanwhile been patented. For the production of 7-ADCA via this 'green route' no organic solvents are needed, so that substantial environmental benefits are achieved. The production process also involves a far more economic use of energy and results in a product that is purer than 7-ADCA produced according to classical chemical methods, at a lower cost price.

Market Leader

"Using our advanced technology basis, DSM is strengthening its position as the global leader in bulk antibiotics with this investment," says Nico Gerardu, director of DSM's Anti-Infectives Business Group. DSM Anti-Infectives has recently undergone a major reorganization process, necessitated by the substantial drop in the price of penicillin in the past few years. "The successful start-up of our 7-ADCA plant marks the recovery of DSM Anti-Infectives," explains Mr Gerardu. "We have experienced some hard times, but we're now definitely on the up. This investment, among other things, ensures that DSM Anti-Infectives can look confidently into the future again."

7-ADCA

7-ADCA (7-amino-deacetoxy-cephalosporinic acid) is an essential raw material for the production of cephalosporins, an important group of antibiotics. Antibiotics are medicines that are used to combat bacterial infections. They represent a major share of the overall pharmaceuticals market. Antibiotics derived from penicillin are by far the most important products in this market. There are two main groups of penicillin-derived antibiotics: semi-synthetic penicillins (among which are ampicillin and amoxycillin) and semi-synthetic cephalosporins (such as cephalexin and cephadroxyl).

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