Pharma starting materials and intermediates: Feedstocks
Why medicine supply sits on the petrochemical chain
What this tab covers What it is made from and what it feeds: the raw materials and energy per tonne with their share of cost (linked to the commodity table), who is low-cost and why, and the chemicals made from it.Chemical KSMs come from benzene, phenol, nitrobenzene, chlorine, ammonia and methanol, so they sit on the petrochemical chain. Fermentation KSMs come from maize starch, sugar and soybean meal. The low-cost producer has integrated basic chemicals, captive steam and power, and effluent infrastructure on the same site.
Inputs per tonne
| Input | Quantity per tonne | Role | Share of cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oil Crude oil | about 1.1 t nitrobenzene per t para-aminophenol (stoichiometric, indicative) | carbon skeleton | not published | stoichiometry |
| Mz Maize | not published | fermentation feed | not published | Aurobindo (2024) |
| Gas Natural gas | not published | amination, hydrogenation, heat | not published | qualitative |
Who is low-cost, and why
Chinese producers with integrated chemical parks and coal-based utilities are cheapest. New Indian PLI plants have higher capital charges and smaller scale, and needed MIPs in 2026 to compete.
Raw materials on the commodity table
Oil Crude oilWhat it is made into
| Product | Note |
|---|---|
| API Small-molecule APIs | KSMs feed all APIs |
| APAP Paracetamol | para-aminophenol is its KSM |
| 6APA Antibiotic intermediates (6-APA, 7-ACA) | penicillin G to 6-APA |