PHARMACEUTICAL MANUFACTURE ERNEST H. VOLWILER, Abbott
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HEX the world is a t peace, commerce flows almost effortlessly and industry itself gives relatively little thought to the degree of its dependence upon supplies which must come from foreign sources. When widespread war occurs, pinching needs may develop; this was painfully evident during VVorld War I, when a considerable number of essential drugs became scarce or even unobtainable. Fortunately the American pharmaceutical manufacturing industry took those lessons to heart, and largely by its own industrial and inventive contributions, i t has removed the danger of shortages of the great majority of drug items. Even in cases of certain ram or finished drugs which heretofore have still been imported, adequate products for the same purposes are or can be made available in the United States. The one drug which probably leads all others in its essential character is morphine. For this we are absolutely dependent upon remote foreign countries, such as Turkey, Yugoslavia, and China. Fortunately the Federal Karcotic Bureau has provided stocks of opium, to the extent of some 500,000 pounds: much of this is in the vaults of the Treasury in Washington, a far more valuable and essential commodity than the gold which it replaced. This supply is estimated to be adequate for our needs for three years. Cinchona for making quinine, of which we use several million ounces per year, comes principally from Java, although some supplies of lower alkaloid content and quality are obtainable from South America. Should our present sources be seriously interfered with, no doubt the need will be met by American manufacture of already known synthetic products effective against malaria. Other drugs of natural origin are far less essential and in many cases can be replaced by other products of domestic origin. Among these are arnica, belladonna, buckthorn, colchicum, colocynth pulp, henbane, and numerous others originating in central Europe; gums are mostly obtained abroad, but satisfactory substitutes for them can generally be provided by domestic natural sources or synthetic products. Essential oils are in a similar category. Of the minerals for pharmaceutical purposes, tin, mercury, antimony, and manganese are largely of foreign origin. Sufficient of these is in sight for drug uses, unless other national needs should curtail their supply. Ergot, which has heretofore been obtained from Spain, Poland, Hungary, and Russia, can be satisfactorily supplied from our own country, though a t higher cost. Mahuang, from which ephedrine is obtained, grows best in China, India, and Spain. These sources could be replaced both by synthetic ephedrine and by other synthetic products having similar action. Present domestic supplies of the tartrates are inadequate; sufficient quantities can be supplied by fermentation methods, though at higher cost. Fortunately the remainder of the medicinal picture is a satisfactory one. Our country has led in the development of hormones and other glandular drugs, and the packing houses are able to supply any needed quantities of the raw materials. Among these are insulin, liver extract, thyroid, pituitary, pepsin, epinephrine, and certain sex hormones. Cod liver oil, formerly coming chiefly from Norway and England, is no longer an essential drug, for ample supplies
Laboratories, North Chicago, Ill.
of liver oils from the halibut and other fishes in waters adjacent to American shores, as well as Viosterol and Delsterol, will take care of any needs. Other needed vitamins are available from natural or synthetic sources. A new field for biological manufacture relating to the preparedness program in the United States is the immunization of troops with tetanus toxoid. This will be the first time that United States troops have been immunized to any extent, whereas some of the European armies have used tetanus toxoid as a prophylactic for several years. If the United States should actually become engaged in war, the therapeutic use of certain serums would be required, although i t has been interesting that the wounds suffered by soldiers in the present European War are much cleaner than the wounds of the World War, and that there has not been the incidence of tetanus and gas gangrene. Biological houses preparing antiserums always carry appreciable r e serves, and it is likely that they would have the opportunity to increase their production in time to meet any needs. I n the last war tetanus antitoxin and a mixed antitoxin were in great demand. Our nation is particularly well provided with synthetic drugs, which now represent such a large proportion of medicinal products. There is scarcely a n essential which is not being produced in ample quantities in the United States. I n 1914 there was an acute shortage of the arsphenamines, which fortunately was promptly met by our manufacturers; today we lead the world in their production. Local anesthetics, including procaine and a dozen related products, adequately take care of those needs; and for general anesthesia, the pharmaceutical industry not only has ample capacity for ether and nitrous oxide of excellent quality, but also for the newer inhalation anesthetics, ethylene and cyclopropane, and the still later intravenous anesthetics, pentothal and evipal, which are of considerable importance for rapid use by armed forces. Another indication of the capacity to supply needed drugs is provided by the United States production of sulfanilamide, amounting to over 700,000 pounds in 1939, and of sulfapyridine. Antiseptics of value for a great variety of purposes also constitute no problem. The ame can be said for aspirin, acetanilide, x-ray dia, diur cs, and l y g o t i c s . ds self-sufficiency An important c tributing factor to in medicinal agents has been the greatly increased interest in biologi esearch not only in the drug manuf cturing industry it& but also in American universities an ther pub-
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