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 The Intellectual Property which forms the basis of Stirling's technology revolves around a pharmaceutical called R-salbutamol. R-salbutamol is a purified version of the compound salbutamol (also known as albuterol) which has worldwide acceptance for the treatment of asthma in humans.
Salbutamol exists as two different chemical forms (isomers). Purifying this mixture of isomers to a compound containing only a single isomer (the R isomer) has several advantages, including a reduction of adverse effects caused by the unwanted isomer and preventing the interference with the favourable effects of the active isomer (or enantiomer).
In human pharmaceutical markets, the pressure to switch to pure, single isomer drugs started in the 1980s by companies looking for patent extension. Supported by regulatory agencies desiring drugs of higher purity with fewer side effects, the percentage of total pharmaceutical sales of these drugs has grown from less than 10% of the total market in 1985, to 25% in 1995 and are now over 40%. | 
