Scientists have discovered a surprisingly simple way to make important medicines using two everyday ingredients: table sugar and vinegar.
The new method could make some life-saving drugs much cheaper and easier to produce, helping more people around the world afford the medicines they need.
The research was led by scientists from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom and Scripps Research in the United States. Their findings were published in the journal Nature.
The new technique focuses on making a special type of molecule called a C-glycoside. While the name sounds complicated, these molecules are already used in several widely prescribed medicines.
They are especially important in drugs that treat type 2 diabetes, heart failure, and chronic kidney disease.
Carbohydrates, or sugars, are essential molecules in the human body. They help store energy and allow cells to communicate with each other.
Scientists have long wanted to use sugars to create medicines because they work well inside the body.
However, one small chemical change needed to make these drugs has always been difficult, slow, and expensive.
Current manufacturing methods require many complicated steps and use hazardous chemicals. This makes production costly and limits how easily the medicines can be made.
The researchers have now found a much simpler solution. They discovered that a sugar molecule can be changed into the right form by mixing it with a common chemical and a mild acid, such as acetic acid, which is the main ingredient in vinegar.
This prepares the sugar so it can form the strong carbon-to-carbon bond needed to create stable medicines.
Professor Varinder Aggarwal from the University of Bristol said the discovery could completely change the way these medicines are manufactured. Because the process is simple and uses inexpensive starting materials, he believes it could become the preferred method for making these important drugs.
The team tested the new process by producing several well-known diabetes medicines called SGLT2 inhibitors. These include dapagliflozin, canagliflozin, and empagliflozin. These medicines help lower blood sugar by preventing the kidneys from returning too much glucose back into the bloodstream.
Together, they are used by millions of patients worldwide and represent a global market worth more than 20 billion dollars each year.
Professor Phil Baran from Scripps Research said one of the biggest advantages is that the method is easy to perform. He even suggested that almost any basic laboratory could make these medicines using widely available materials. The research team has chosen not to patent the method, hoping that generic drug manufacturers will use it to lower medicine prices for patients.
The scientists also showed that the process works on a much larger scale. Using inexpensive dextrose powder purchased from a local pharmacy and ordinary household vinegar, they successfully produced several approved diabetes drugs as well as other complex compounds that previously required many more manufacturing steps.
The researchers believe this simple chemistry could be used to create many new sugar-based medicines in the future.
If adopted by pharmaceutical companies, the discovery could reduce manufacturing costs, speed up drug production, and make important treatments more affordable and available to people around the world.
