LAUSR

The utilization of either aqueous or conventional/traditional volatile organic compound-based extraction/product development processes in the pharmaceutical industry has become questionable because of the water solubility limitations of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and stringent regulatory issues concerning the safety aspect of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The use of neoteric solvents (nonconventional/nontraditional) is being encouraged during API extraction from whole plants or plant tissues and for during pharmaceutical product development. In this review, we provide an overview of the utilization of four neoteric solvents (supercritical fluids, fluorous solvents, ionic liquids, and deep eutectic solvents) in API extraction and pharmaceutical product development processes. Our review highlights solvent-less or solvent-free reactions, which could replace neoteric solvents in drug development in the future.