Date: July 10th, 2026 8:04 PM Author: Ceci n'est pas une pumo
When the patent for paroxetine anhydrate (the "original" polymorph) ran out, other companies wanted to make generic antidepressants using the chemical. The problem was that, by the time other companies began manufacturing, Earth's atmosphere was already seeded with microscopic quantities of paroxetine hemihydrate from GSK's manufacturing plants, which meant that anyone trying to manufacture the original polymorph would find it transformed into the still-patented version, which GSK refused to give manufacturing rights for.
Date: July 10th, 2026 9:06 PM Author: Ceci n'est pas une pumo
True
But even if I had, I don't think a sci-fi novel would get me to think that 'planetary contamination of pharmaceutical dust can prevent less stable crystal structures from ever being made again' was a realistic conceit