Two pharmaceutical companies have teamed up to launch an ambitious plan to synthesize drugs in space. It’s not an expensive hobby. It is more than proven that some medications have added advantages if they crystallize in microgravity conditions. Until now, the few companies that had done so had worked alone or with the sole support of agencies such as NASA, but the fact that two of them are associated without the need for the space agency to intervene marks what could be the beginning of an era.
Better to join forces. The two companies in question are Varda Space Industries and United Therapeutics Corporation. The first, founded by former SpaceX employees, has been synthesizing medicines in space since 2023. The second has never traveled beyond Earth, but it is a biotechnology company with enough potential for the union to be much stronger. The initial objective will be the crystallization in microgravity of drugs for rare lung diseases. However, in the future drugs could be produced for many other pathologies.
It all started in 2019. In 2019, the companies Merck Sharp & Dome Corp. (MSD), in collaboration with the National Laboratory of the International Space Station (ISS), carried out crystallization experiments with the drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda). It is an anti-cancer drug that, as is common in chemotherapy, is administered by intravenous infusion, in a process that can last hours. By crystallizing it in space, a more stable form was obtained that allowed its administration in a single injection, making the treatment much more comfortable for patients.
a matter of time. It has been seen that, when crystallized under microgravity conditions, many molecules assemble more slowly and constantly. The results are much more stable molecules that, once used as a drug, have a wide variety of advantages. For example, they dissolve better, do not require as much cold for storage, cause fewer side effects, and have a longer shelf life.
Varda’s experience. The Varda company began its space pharmacology project in 2023. That year it launched the first of a series of unmanned capsules with chemical reactors into space. In these reactors, molecules are crystallized and, after a few weeks or months of work, are returned to Earth. That first capsule was the W-1. W-6 is currently carrying out its mission and is expected to launch at least three more this year. Furthermore, after the merger with another pharmaceutical company, Varda is confident of being able to scale to 7 launches in 2027.
Also for research. Molecules that crystallize in space give rise to larger crystals. This also makes your research easier. Therefore, with this type of project the aim is not only to obtain drugs. It is also expected to obtain candidate molecules to become medicines, to be analyzed more thoroughly by scientists on Earth.
This is just the beginning. In the future, space travel will be much more widespread. The reuse of rockets will allow many more launches to be made in less time, space tourism will become increasingly common and much public and private research can be carried out in orbit. If sufficient investment is achieved, the infrastructure to obtain drugs in space will become increasingly simpler. And, of course, the benefits for patients will also increase.
Image | Varda/Magnific
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