The simulated moving bed continuous separation process that increases throughput, purity, and yield compared to batch chromatography is considered as an important preparative technique to purify pharmaceutical drugs. Secnidazole is a chiral drug marketed in the racemic form but pharmacological effects due to molecule chirality indicate that one of the enantiomers is more potent. Preparative separation of the secnidazole enantiomers was performed by a continuous simulated moving-bed (SMB) chromatographic unit. It was used an experimental technique called shortcut technique, that allows the rigorous solution of the Equilibrium Theory model to be approximated without knowing the adsorption equilibria. Amylose tris(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) functioned as the stationary phase and acetonitrile-isopropanol mixtures as mobile phases. The enantiomeric purity obtained were 72.5 % for R-secnidazole and 85.5 % for S-(+)-secnidazole in the raffinate and extract streams, respectively.