MARKETS N e w Drug Products Pay Off Medicinals at wholesale level set a record — hormones, tranquilizers, antibiotics boost markets J N I E W S P A P E R READERS could get
the
idea that the entire pharmaceutical chemicals industry has gone over to the production of vaccine against the Asiatic flu. It is somewhat true in the instance of six companies who are working night a n d d a y to beat the flu bug to the punch this fall and winter. D r u g a n d medicinal manufacturers as a whole are boosting production of other vital health products and discovering at the same time that many of their n e w e r drugs are accounting for an increasing share of their income. A m o n g them a r e improved antibiotics, hormone compounds, anticholesterol preparations, a n d the much publicized tranquilizers. Sales of medicinal chemicals at the manufacturers' level last year came to $502.7 million, a new record high, and judging from production and sales data for t h e first nine months, may better that figure in 1957 b y 12 to 15%. • Antibiotic Growth. Antibiotics continue to account for the largest share of t h e medicinal chemical dollar. Of last years $502.7 million total, this group alone accounted for a sales volume of $269.3 million and may move above the $272 million level this year. Included in these totals are the penicillin salts, tetracycline, streptomycin, dihydrostreptomycin, neomycin base, as well as antibiotics for veterinary use. Antibiotics for animal feed supplements have gained in consumption since 1951, as follows:
1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956
Sales (pounds)
Value (millions)
196,000 172,000 391,000 562,000 553,000 699,000
$17.5 17.0 19.4 25.9 26.1 27.1
T h e s e products are being increasingly used in the treatment of animal and poultry disease. Pfizer very recently b r o u g h t out new technical 36
C&EN
SEPT.
16,
1957
grades of streptomycin and dihydrostreptomycin for this purpose. These are offered in bulk quantities for manufacture into dosage forms. Apart from antibiotics are a growing list of products for veterinary use. Parke-Davis' new anesthetic, Surital, for horses, cattle, and swine, h a s just been a p proved by the Food & Drug Administration. • Market in Piperazino. Piperazine derivatives are coming in for more attention in the pharmaceutical field. Their production in 1956, led by piperazine citrate, amounted to $723,000 in value compared v/ith $203,000 the year before. The output increased from 80,000 to 297,000 pounds. Piperazine is being used as a n intermediate in the production of tranquilizing drugs and deworming agents. Commercial quantities of piperazine of high purity ( 9 8 % ) are n o w being offered b y Union Carbide Chemicals as a free-flowing crystal product.
• Hormone Sales. Sitosterol is t h e name of a steroid starting material also offered in commercial lots by General Mills, uses for which are indicated in the synthesis of adrenocortical hormones, other hormonal and anticholesterol drugs. In terms of p o u n d a g e the hormones appear almost ridiculous. On the basis of their dollar turnover the business is really big. T h e sales tabulated for last year b y the Tariff Commission w e r e $25,908,000, of which hydrocortisone alcohol a n d acetate accounted for $9,552,000, a n d prednisolone $7,455,000. • Vaccine Situation. Pharmaceutical companies concentrating on the production of Asiatic flu vaccine are Merck, Sharp & D o h m e , Lederle, National D r u g , Pitman-Moore, Parke-Davis, a n d Eli Lilly. W i t h t h e flu scare still in the headline stage, spokesmen for the industry state that capacity for making the vaccine h a s been raised to more than 1 million doses per week. N o n e theless, certain distributors look for a shortage. Merck m a d e its first shipment at the end of August, expects to step up weekly production to more than 3 million ml. b y the middle of October. Before the e n d of November, output may rise to 20 million ml. All of it is for civilian use, a n d in this connection it is of interest to learn that an increasing number of companies are seeking vaccine for their employees. • Active
Vitamins.
The
vitamin
Synthetic Medicinal Chemicals Pass Half Billion M a r k mm
Sales
Sales V a l u e
Sales, Millions of Pounds
Seles Value, Millions of Dollars
_
6 O Q
450
300
150
1946
1948
1950
1952
1954
1956
W E E K ' S PRICE CHANGES
From MSA Research Corporation
Sept. 9, 1957 Advances CURRENT
S Castor oil, Brazilian, l b . t C a r b o a bisulfide, t a n k s , cwt. Cocoa b u t t e r , l b . Dipentene, Ν . Υ., d r u m s included, galLinseed oil, Mpls., l b . Oxalates, large drums, l b . Ferric ammonium Ferric & potassium Ferric & sodium Potassium, neutral tech. Ammonium, tech. Phenolphthalein, lb. Sodium nitrite, cits., cwt. Soybean oil, Decatur, l b . Tallow, extra, l b .
PREVIOUS
0.221/* S 0.22 5.55 0.85
5.45 0.84
0.92 0.138
0.86 0.135
0.271/2 0.321/2 0.271/s 0.32 Ο.281/2 1.30 9.00 0.113/s Ο.Ο81/4
0.251/2
Declines 0.22 Casein, Argentine, l b . Coconiiî oU, tanks, Ν . Υ., lb. 0.135'a Copper carbonate, l b . 0.3175 Copper electrolytic, l b . 0.27 Copper scrap. No. 1, l b . O.2IV2 Copper sulfate, cwt. 11.55 Crystal 25.45 Tribasic G u m rosins, N . Y., c 8.80 Nancy 9.05 Window glass 9.30 Water white 4.20 Linalool, lb. 4.50 Linalyl acetate, lb. kilo Neomycin sulfate, 350.00 U.S.P. 140.00 Veterinary grade Soybean meal, Decatur, ton Steel Scrap, N o . 1, Pittsbg. 53.00 ton 0.93 Tin,lb. Tin salts, lb. 0.598 Sodium s t a n n a t e 0.746 Potassium s t a n n a t e 0.952 Stannous chloride, a n h y d . 0.995 Oxide, 400 l b . d r u m
0.30 V, 0.251/2
0.30 Ο.261/2
1.15 8.50 O.IIV4 0.08
Ο.241/2 0.133/4
0.3235
Ο.281/2
0.22
11.95 26.20 8.85 9.15 9.40 4.40 4.75 450.00 200.00
56.00 Ο.931/2
0.603 0.750 0.958 1.02
t Single producer
story on the whole appears to be a better one from the manufacturers' standpoint this year. Business in all descriptions slumped to $78.2 million during 1956, and factors in the decline were price cuts and competition, do mestic and foreign. Improvement to above $80 million should not be dimcult to achieve for 1957.
Spencer Chemical announced an in crease of $2 per ton on fertilizer-grade ammonium nitrate, effective Oct. 1, 1957, and $4 per ton effective Jan. 1, 1958. New prices replace the sched ule of May 28, 1957. The differential between October and January follows the standard industry pattern of sea sonal discounts. Du Pont lowered prices for most types of Mylar polyester film by 25 cents per pound effective Sept. 3. This is the fourth successive cut on Mylar in three years.
NAK
an alkali metal that is liquid when water is ice N a K (sodium·-potassium) alloy^s ha^ve melting points a s low as 9.95°F (sodium 208°F). I t presents highly reactive surfaces for chemical reactions. These properties of low rnelting point and highly reactive surfaces combine to provide a n aLkali metal for carrying on low tempera t u r e reductions, condensations;, traxisesterification and reactions in which alkali metals serve a s a catalyst. N a K can b e easily pumped and metered. Elaborate mixing or dispersion equipment is not ordinarily required. N a K removes trace quantities of oxygen and water from nonreactive gas such a s nitrogen. I t is a scavenger for halides and sulphides. For convenience i n adding N a K o r potassium t o reaction mix tures in research and development investigations, they are avail able in glass ampoules (1 t o 2 gr. quantities weighed to 4th decimal). N a K ' s properties make i t an excellent heat transfer fluid. Pumps, flowmeters, heat exchangers a n d otfcier components for N a K heat transfer systems are available. Write us for more information o n NaK or potassium a s a proc ess chemical, and ask us about t h e application of N a K to your heat transfer problems.
IvlSA. Research. Corporation COMMERCIAL DIVISION · CATJLERY, PENNSYLVANIA Sponsored Research, Development an.^r! Engineering in H e a t Transfer Technology aa
