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At present, 1400kg of highly concentrated pure sidenafil citrate is made each week by an automated process in a factory in Ringsakiddy, Co Cork, Republic of Ireland. Making one batch of the drug takes 21 days. The Scheme below shows the original ‘discovery’ route used to synthesise sildenafil. Commercial manufacture of the drug is by an alternative route, the details of which are strictly under wraps.

The resulting white crystalline powder is taken to one of three centres - in France, Puerto Rico or the US - where it is diluted with inactive ingredients: microcrystalline cellulose, anhydrous dibasic calcium phosphate, croscarmellose sodium, magnesium stearate, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, titanium dioxide, lactose and triacetin. The powder is then coloured blue, and formulated into the characteristic rounded-diamond-shaped tablets equivalent to 25mg, 50mg and 100mg of sildenafil.

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