New catalyst technologies company launched

Reaxa, the new catalyst technologies company, has formally commenced trading following a successful spin-out from Avecia. Reaxa offers new product platforms for "easier, faster and cleaner chemistry" in pharmaceutical and specialty chemical production.

Reaxa is a combined venture between the company's management team, Professor Steven Ley of the University of Cambridge and Avecia. The company expects to generate annual revenues in excess of US$20m by 2009.

Based on award-winning encapsulated catalyst technology (EnCat) and scavenger resins (QuadraPure), Reaxa's "cleaner chemistry" is said to reduce time, cost and environmental burdens in bringing new drugs to market. Several new additions to the EnCat range are currently in development for commercial launch later this year and in 2006.

Reaxa technologies combine new approaches to immobilising the precious metal catalysts increasingly important in drug production and more efficient recovery of metal contaminants from products and process waste. Partnering these approaches reduces contamination and clean-up costs and enhances reuse and recycling of expensive materials. The company's technology "pipeline" reflects Reaxa's strengths in catalysis and polymer chemistry, together with synthetic organic chemistry, process development and scale-up. These are combined with Professor Steve Ley's (University of Cambridge) expertise in supported reagent technologies and novel synthetic approaches to complex drugs.

'Reaxa's focus as a stand-alone business is to concentrate on new process chemistries that will meet r&d and production challenges in synthesis of complex new drugs,' said ceo Dr Pete Jackson. 'Our clean catalysis technologies particularly address sustainability issues, via innovation in both existing chemical toolkits - and the advance of new catalyst-based programmes.'

In parallel with his Reaxa role, Dr. Jackson continues as Avecia Pharmaceuticals' vice president for Pharmaceutical Products, with particular focus on new technology applications. Reaxa will retain its dedicated commercial, r&d and manufacturing facilities at the Avecia site in Manchester, UK.