2026 Peter J. Dunn Award for Green Chemistry & Engineering Impact in the Pharmaceutical Industry – Small Molecule
The Bristol Myers Squibb team is recognized for a breakthrough redesign of the manufacturing route for Repotrectinib (BMS 986472) API, delivering major sustainability and efficiency gains through green chemistry innovation. By integrating retrosynthetic redesign with environmentally conscious process optimization, the team achieved a fourfold yield improvement, from 11% to 45%, while reducing isolations from ten to six and fully eliminating dioxane and all halogenated solvents and reagents. The introduction of a second-generation biocatalytic route for a key raw material further demonstrates a shift toward cleaner, renewable, low-impact technologies.
These combined efforts drove 43–73% reductions across multiple life cycle assessment metrics, including cycle time, cost per kilogram, Process Mass Intensity, Mass Net, energy consumption, CO₂ emissions, and water depletion. The project showcases how sustainable design and operational excellence can coexist to deliver greener, more responsible pharmaceutical manufacturing.
