A 2006 study found detectable concentrations of 28 pharmaceutical compounds in sewage treatment plant effluents, surface water, and sediment.

"Novel pharmaceutical compounds developed by our research and development people will eventually broaden our product line," he said.

Many pharmaceutical compounds are weak acids or weak bases.

The company said the process makes it simpler to produce a large class of pharmaceutical compounds called amines.

But using maize to produce industrial and pharmaceutical compounds raises scientific, societal and policy issues.

Chloroacetaldehyde is a useful intermediate in the synthesis, e.g. of 2-aminothiazole or many pharmaceutical compounds.

It also had the ability to manipulate the chemistry of its seed pods to create useful pharmaceutical compounds.

In addition, the process makes it possible to add pharmaceutical compounds, like the antibiotic tetracycline, to fight specific infections.

This approach can then be applied to the prediction of response to a pharmaceutical compound by patients with a particular metabolic profile.

It has been held that a newfound medical use for a known and patented pharmaceutical compound may qualify as an improvement in an art.