Catalysts play a pivotal role in the green and efficient development of the pharmaceutical industry, with applications spanning key stages such as drug synthesis, medical device manufacturing, and biopharmaceutical production. Specific application scenarios include:
Drug Synthesis and Production
Precious Metal Catalysts
Thanks to their excellent catalytic hydrogenation properties, precious metal catalysts-such as palladium-on-carbon (Pd/C)-are widely used in the synthesis of anti-tumor agents, antibiotics, and antibacterial drugs. Globally, approximately 25% of synthetic drugs rely on Pd/C as a core catalyst for intermediate synthesis. Kaili New Materials' homogeneous precious metal catalysts cover the entire production chain, from innovative drugs to active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs); sales volume for these products rose by 32.53% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, reflecting a continuously expanding scale of industrial application.
Enzymatic Biocatalysis
Enzyme catalysts modified through directed evolution enable the efficient and green synthesis of chiral drugs. For instance, a Merck team utilized directed evolution on five key enzymes to condense the synthesis of the anti-HIV drug islatravir from 12–18 steps into a three-step, one-pot process in an aqueous medium, boosting the total yield to 51%. Haoyuan Chemexpress's dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) enzymatic technology can increase the separation yield of chiral compounds to over 95%, eliminate two reaction steps compared to traditional processes, and reduce production costs by nearly 50%.
Composite Catalysts
A composite catalyst-comprising polymers, enzymes, and metal sub-nanoclusters-developed by Tsinghua University enables simultaneous enzymatic and metal-catalyzed activity at room temperature. This allows multi-step cascade reactions for chiral amine drug intermediates to be completed in a "one-pot" process, significantly simplifying production workflows and reducing the discharge of waste (wastewater, waste gas, and solid waste). It effectively resolves long-standing industry challenges, such as the incompatibility of reaction conditions between enzymes and metals and the tendency for catalysts to lose activity.
