COUNTING ON CHIRAL DRUGS

Chiral drugs continue to be a significant force in the global pharmaceutical market. Worldwide sales of single-enantiomer drugs surged 21% in 1997 over 1996 to almost $90 billion, according to analysts at the consulting firm Technology Catalysts International (TCI). Richard L. DiCicco, president of the Falls Church, Va., company, attributes this strong showing to advances in enantiomeric cardiovascular, central nervous system, antiviral, and anticancer drugs. Despite the double digits, the 1997 growth rate for chiral drugs was not a record. "We believe one of the reasons for this smaller growth, 20.6% in 1997 versus 27% [in the past five years], is the strength of U.S. dollars," says Sujuan Ba, director of chiral chemistry consulting services at TCI. "Many pharmaceutical companies will have to convert their international sales back to dollars, which lose some value due to the exchange rate." To show the importance of single-enantiomer drugs today, Ba measures their appearance among the top-selling drugs. ...