Saltigo showcases its phosgenation expertise and peptide synthesis reagents at CPHI Milan

At the CPHI Milan trade show, Saltigo, a subsidiary of the specialty chemicals company LANXESS, will showcase its expertise in the development and manufacture of pharmaceutical intermediates, regulatory starting materials, and specialty reagents. Saltigo supports pharmaceutical companies and pharmaceutical CDMOs as a custom manufacturing partner in these processes. A key focus is on phosgenation chemistry for highly reactive, carbonyl-containing building blocks. These include chloroformates, isocyanates, urea and carbamate precursors, as well as carbonylation reagents for modern peptide synthesis.

Reagents for modern peptide synthesis

In industrial peptide processes, it is essential to reliably control individual synthesis steps—from selective protecting-group management to the efficient coupling of amino acids. Saltigo offers selected protecting-group and coupling reagents for this purpose.

The product portfolio includes, among other items, 2-chlorotrityl chloride for acid-labile protecting-group and linker strategies, as well as Cbz chloride. PyAOP, Fmoc-Cl, and Fmoc-OSu are currently under development at Saltigo with a view to scalable industrial supply.

The range of coupling reagents includes CDI, DIC, and EDC. CDI activates carboxylic acids via reactive acylimidazole intermediates and enables selected amidation and peptide-coupling steps without requiring users to handle phosgene directly in the respective API synthesis step. DIC and EDC offer alternative carbodiimide-based activation pathways via O-acylisourea intermediates. The choice of reagent depends on the substrate, the required selectivity, the impurity profile, and scale-up requirements.

From technical evaluation to commercial production

When pharmaceutical companies and pharmaceutical CDMOs outsource complex intermediates or regulatory starting materials, a reliable technical assessment is essential: Is the route scalable? Which process risks can be expected? Which technologies and quality requirements are relevant? And how can a challenging synthesis step be reliably and efficiently transferred to production scale?

Saltigo supports projects from feasibility assessment through process development, safety assessment, analytics, and pilot-scale testing all the way to commercial production. In interdisciplinary project teams, synthesis routes are technically evaluated early on and scaled up to production scale in a robust, quality-compliant, and cost-effective manner.

In a recent customer project, Saltigo was able to deliver initial quantities just six months after receiving the technical package. This example demonstrates the value of an early technical assessment and close collaboration between the customer, development, and production teams.

“Our customers aren’t simply looking for additional production capacity. They need a partner who understands the chemical and industrial complexity of their projects, can assess them realistically, and can contribute to the security of supply of critical precursors,” says Dr. Christoph Schaffrath, Head of Marketing & Sales at Saltigo.

In addition to phosgenation chemistry, Saltigo draws on a broad technology portfolio, including metathesis, fluorination, organometallic chemistry, biocatalysis, flow chemistry, and high-pressure hydrogenation. Strategic outsourcing can help allocate resources more effectively and stabilize supply chains when internal API capacities are limited or facilities are tied up with complex precursors.

Scheduling appointments and further information

In the run-up to the trade show, Saltigo is offering no-obligation, individual and virtual consultations with experts. Interested companies can discuss their specific projects with Saltigo specialists at an early stage and assess initial technical solution options. An appointment can be scheduled directly via the booking tool.

Further information on the company’s pharmaceutical offering can be found on the Saltigo page for Custom Manufacturing for Pharmaceutical Intermediates.

Saltigo GmbH is one of the leading providers in the field of custom synthesis. The company, which is part of the specialty chemicals company LANXESS, belongs to the Consumer Protection segment, which recorded sales of EUR 1,889 billion in fiscal year 2025. Saltigo, which has its corporate headquarters in Leverkusen and production facilities in Leverkusen and Dormagen, employs around 1,100 people worldwide.