Several of the new patents gained relate to the enzymatic conversion of epoxides, including via epoxide hydrolases and halohydrin dehalogenases, which are particularly useful in the production of nonbiological oral dosage form drugs, which account for 90 per cent of drugs on the market.
In particular, the enzymatic conversion of epoxides is especially useful for the chiral cyenation of molecules and antioselective carbon:carbon bond formation. Both of these reactions are very useful in making many commercially successful drugs, such as statins.
"We now have the leading platform for the conversion of epoxides out of any other biocatalysis, pharmaceutical or fine chemicals company," Codexis spokesperson, Tassos Gianakakos, told In-PharmaTechnologist.com.
Codexis now plans to use the patents to develop new chemical processes for its Enzymes and Intermediates business unit and also to develop new synthetic routes for making existing drug compounds by creating new starting points for its existing proprietary MolecularBreeding directed molecular evolution technology - a suite of 300 patents that optimize enzymes for commercial utility. The goal of this is to decrease the cost and increase the purity of drug manufacturing processes.
"Significant changes are happening in the drug manufacturing industry. Due to increased price pressures, pharma companies are now changing their perception towards the development of chemicals, and want to have both new and existing drugs on the market using the cheapest production processes possible," said Gianakakos.
"At the same time, molecules are gaining in complexity - a 10-12 step process is no longer uncommon - so anything that reduces the number of manufacturing steps is being welcomed."
"Using our technology we can reduce a process that would normally take 11-12 steps down to 3-4 steps using only 1-2 catalysts and cut drug manufacturing costs by 40-60 per cent," said Gianakakos.
The processes also operate at an ambient temperature, pressure and pH so the manufacturing conditions are more energy efficient, produce less waste and allow for standard equipment to be used, providing further cost benefits, he said.
Following the sale of its key assets to Codexis, of which the financial details were not disclosed, Enzis has now ceased operations and its two founders and key scientists, will join Codexis and Julich Chiral Solutions, respectively.