GLP-1 peptide agonists behind blockbuster weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy have been traditionally produced by highly wasteful methods of chemical synthesis. This is now changing, according to Fernando Albericio, PhD, a professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
According to Albericio, companies are moving away from harmful solvents, such as dimethylformamide, which has been restricted in Europe, toward greener alternatives. “[Within manufacturing], it’s important to be more efficient, and use less and greener reagents and solvents,” he explains.
Albericio will be speaking about sustainability in GLP-1 peptide agonist production at the Bioprocessing Summit Europe in Barcelona next month.
Many peptide products are currently synthesized through wasteful chemical processes. Generating a single kilo of peptide, for example, Albericio adds, can require 13,000 kilos of reagent to manufacture.
“It’s like if, to make a kilogram of pizza, you needed to put in 30 tons of flour, cheese, and tomato,” he says.
This, he continues, is because solid-phase peptide synthesis requires 82 different reactions, each involving a reagent and a wash step.
To get around this, companies are investigating greener solutions, including using alternative solvents, such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DSMO) or production techniques adopted from the cosmetics industry, where, Albericio says, being green is part of their marketing.
“These new drugs are really creating a driving force for new high-quality research, which is wonderful, and there are several strategies under investigation for the next generation of peptides.”
He adds, “Because, at the end of the day, what’s important is the end user, the patient, who needs help to fight conditions like diabetes.”
Albericio is also urging society to be greener by considering who needs to take these new weight-loss drugs. “They’re often called Hollywood drugs because people in Hollywood are taking them,” he says.
“If you have diabetes or obesity, it might be ethical to take them, but—if you have a healthy diet and take regular exercise—maybe you don’t.”
