Biocatalysis has emerged as a transformative technology in Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) development, reshaping how pharmaceutical molecules are developed and manufactured. By enabling shorter synthetic routes, improved chemo-, regio- and stereoselectivity, and more sustainable manufacturing processes, enzymes are increasingly outperforming traditional chemical catalysts. Over the past two decades, advances in enzyme discovery, screening and engineering have dramatically reduced the cost and time required to access new biocatalytic activities, making enzymes increasingly attractive alternatives to traditional chemical catalysts.

The growing adoption of biocatalysis within pharmaceutical development has been driven not only by advances in enzyme technology, but also by the emergence of integrated development models that combine enzyme discovery, engineering and AI, process development/optimisation and manufacturing. Access to diverse enzyme libraries and effective screening platforms remains critical, particularly when development timelines are compressed. At the same time, the ability to rapidly scale successful biocatalytic transformations from laboratory evaluation to GMP manufacture has become an increasingly important differentiator. Within this environment, organisations that combine biological and chemical process expertise are well positioned to accelerate the development of efficient and commercially viable manufacturing routes. At Almac, these capabilities are integrated within a single development and manufacturing framework, allowing biocatalytic solutions to be efficiently advanced from early-stage development through to commercial production.