2026-05-03

The Disaster I Never Imagined Having To Worry About

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksn5yrsC3Wg

I found this really interesting, but I assume that most people wouldn't want to watch the full 33 minute video.  

The bottom line is that the AIDS drug Ritonavir started crystallizing during production making it not useful. This is because chemicals can take different arrangements called polymorphs.  Once the process starts, it is impossible to stop because the crystals are self-replicating, and it is not simply a matter of cleaning or replacing all the equipment.

This process could affect many drugs we take.  One researcher made it happen with aspirin.

This problem has led to increased medical regulation requiring research on possible polymorphs.

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