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How is progesterone made in the pharmaceutical companies?


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Posted (edited)

So I came across progesterone in a Wikipedia article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progesterone) and is interested in how it is actually synthesized in the capsule like Prometrium. The article says progesterone can be derived from diosgenin which can be converted from saponin produced in yam, but I do not think the pharmaceutical companies convert yam into progesterone for their commercial product right?

Edited by fredreload
Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, fredreload said:

So I came across progesterone in a Wikipedia article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progesterone) and is interested in how it is actually synthesized in the capsule like Prometrium. The article says progesterone can be derived from diosgenin which can be converted from saponin produced in yam, but I do not think the pharmaceutical companies convert yam into progesterone for their commercial product right?

Your reading the pioneering experiment from 1940, which was a semisynthesis. Read the paragraph  underneath that for tthe total synthesis done in 1971.

Edited by StringJunky
Posted
12 hours ago, StringJunky said:

Your reading the pioneering experiment from 1940, which was a semisynthesis. Read the paragraph  underneath that for tthe total synthesis done in 1971.

Good call, I did read  the total synthesis method done in 1971, it just seems a bit lengthy and complex. Is the total synthesis done in 1971 how they do it in the pharmaceutical companies to derive progesterone? Thanks for your time @StringJunky

Posted
2 hours ago, fredreload said:

Good find, but is the method remains unchanged from the 1970s to present?

I imagine it will have changed but I couldn't find details.

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