#chirality

Part 1: Introduction to Stereochemistry

“The 3D language of molecules – why stereochemistry is the hidden key in drug science.” Introduction Stereochemistry is the branch of chemistry concerned with the three-dimensional arrangement of atoms in molecules and how this spatial arrangement influences chemical behavior. The term “chirality” (from the Greek cheir meaning hand) describes the property of an object or molecule that is non-superimposable on its mirror image – much like one’s left and right hands. A molecule that exhibits …

Part 1: Introduction to Stereochemistry Read More »

Mapping Stereochemical Nomenclature: A Chiralpedia Guide

Stereochemistry, the study of spatial arrangements of atoms in molecules, demands a precise and universally accepted nomenclature system. Unlike simple chemical formulas, which only indicate connectivity, stereochemical nomenclature conveys three-dimensional information essential for understanding molecular behavior, biological interactions, and pharmaceutical effects. Several systems have been developed to capture these subtle but critical differences. 🔬✨ Stereochemical Nomenclature System — Now in a Visual Story! Stereochemical naming systems are often tucked away in textbooks 📚, dense and …

Mapping Stereochemical Nomenclature: A Chiralpedia Guide Read More »

The Thalidomide Paradox

Synopsis The thalidomide tragedy is one of the most infamous episodes in pharmaceutical history—yet its stereochemical secrets are still being unraveled. A fascinating article by Tokunaga E, Yamamoto T, Ito E, and Shibata N., published in Scientific Reports (Nature Research, 2018; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-35457-6), sheds new light on the phenomenon through the lens of the self-disproportionation of enantiomers, the physical chemistry of chirality. Thalidomide’s tragic past is linked to its two “mirror-image” forms. One form, the S-enantiomer, …

The Thalidomide Paradox Read More »

Episode 10: Future Reflections: How the Story of Chiral Drug Regulation Continues

“Approval is not the end of a molecule’s journey – the mirror must be watched, studied, and questioned throughout its life.” Introduction The development and approval of chiral drugs, especially single-enantiomer entities, marked a new chapter in pharmaceutical science. However, approval is only the beginning. Ensuring that a chiral drug continues to behave safely and predictably in the real world demands vigilant post-marketing surveillance, adaptive regulatory frameworks, and constant scientific reevaluation. In this final episode, …

Episode 10: Future Reflections: How the Story of Chiral Drug Regulation Continues Read More »

Episode 9: Challenges on the Horizon: Complex Chirality and Emerging Scientific Questions

“As the molecular world grows more intricate, so do the challenges in regulating and understanding chirality.” Introduction While the 1990s and 2000s solidified regulatory frameworks for simple chiral drugs -classic single stereocenter, stable enantiomers –science has since moved into more complex territory. Today, pharmaceutical innovation increasingly deals with molecules featuring multiple stereocenters, dynamic chirality, axial chirality (atropisomerism), and stereochemical instability. These new realities stretch the existing regulatory and scientific paradigms developed for simpler chiral systems. …

Episode 9: Challenges on the Horizon: Complex Chirality and Emerging Scientific Questions Read More »

Episode 8: Beyond the Approval: Ethical and Economic Dimensions of Chiral Drugs

“Approving a drug is only half the journey. The true story unfolds where science, ethics, commerce, and access collide.” Introduction Chirality reshaped regulatory science and drug development -but its impact extends far beyond the laboratory and approval desk. The commercialization of single-enantiomer drugs, especially through chiral switches, has raised important ethical and economic debates about innovation, access, affordability, and equity. In this episode, we delve into the ethical dilemmas and economic strategies tied to chiral …

Episode 8: Beyond the Approval: Ethical and Economic Dimensions of Chiral Drugs Read More »

Episode 7: Clinical Questions: Are Single Enantiomers Always Better?

“Science, ethics, and clinical outcomes converge at a difficult question -does the purer mirror image truly heal better?” Introduction The development of single-enantiomer drugs has been heralded as a leap forward in pharmacotherapy, promising greater efficacy, reduced side effects, and more predictable pharmacokinetics. But as the pharmaceutical industry increasingly embraced chiral switches and single-enantiomer innovations, an important clinical question arose: Are single enantiomers always better than their racemic predecessors? In this episode, we critically examine …

Episode 7: Clinical Questions: Are Single Enantiomers Always Better? Read More »

Episode 6: The Rise of the Chiral Switch: Strategy or Science?

“When a drug transforms from a blend to a single hand, is it innovation -or a clever commercial sleight of hand?“ Introduction The regulatory awakening around chiral drugs enabled not just better science but also a new strategic tool for the pharmaceutical industry: the chiral switch. This phenomenon -developing a single-enantiomer version of an already marketed racemate -became both a scientific opportunity and a commercial strategy. While some switches were genuine innovations that improved patient …

Episode 6: The Rise of the Chiral Switch: Strategy or Science? Read More »

Episode 5: Choosing the Right Twin: Regulatory Expectations for Single Enantiomers

Tagline: “When two mirror images offer different paths, how do regulators choose which one should become medicine?” Introduction The rise of regulatory consciousness around chiral drugs in the 1990s opened a crucial new question:If mirror-image molecules behave differently, how should the pharmaceutical industry -and regulators -decide which enantiomer to develop, approve, and market? This episode explores how regulatory agencies like the FDA, EMA, PMDA, CDSCO, and TGA crafted expectations for the development, approval, and control …

Episode 5: Choosing the Right Twin: Regulatory Expectations for Single Enantiomers Read More »

Episode 4: Technology as Catalyst: How Science Enabled the Regulatory Transformation

Tagline: “When scientific precision sharpened, so did regulatory vision -technology became the bridge between molecules and medicine.” Introduction The regulatory awakening around chiral drugs in the 1990s did not occur in isolation. It was powered, almost inevitably, by remarkable scientific and technological breakthroughs. Before sophisticated tools existed, distinguishing and isolating enantiomers was labor-intensive, error-prone, and prohibitively expensive. It was the advent of new chemical, analytical, and bioanalytical technologies that made the regulatory demands for stereochemical …

Episode 4: Technology as Catalyst: How Science Enabled the Regulatory Transformation Read More »