Tag: pharmaceutical
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Could this be the moment that drug manufacturing takes off in orbit?
NASA has enabled scientists to study the impact of microgravity on drug development for decades, beginning with the Space Shuttle. This work accelerated in the 2010s, with the completion of the International Space Station and full-time crew members devoted to scientific research. There have been some notable successes during this timeframe, such as the ability…
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Varda Signs Pharma Deal for Orbital Drug Manufacturing
What pharma giant just signed with Varda for orbital manufacturing? Varda Space Industries has secured a partnership with a major U.S. pharmaceutical company to manufacture drugs in microgravity, marking the first commercial-scale orbital drug production deal. The agreement leverages Varda’s automated manufacturing capsules to produce pharmaceutical compounds that benefit from space’s unique environment, particularly protein…
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Varda Partners United Therapeutics for Microgravity Drug Manufacturing
Varda Space Industries has secured United Therapeutics as a pharmaceutical manufacturing partner for its Winnebago automated factories, targeting treatments for rare pulmonary diseases through microgravity processing. The collaboration leverages Varda’s 120-day orbital manufacturing platform to produce protein crystals and biologics that cannot be effectively manufactured under Earth’s gravity conditions. United Therapeutics brings $7.6 billion in…
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In-space manufacturing startup aces pharma experiment in orbit
The co-founder of California-based startup Varda Space Industries says his company’s first space mission—a miniature lab that has grown crystals of the drug ritonavir in orbit—is on track to end in the coming weeks with a first-of-its-kind re-entry and landing in Utah. Varda’s spacecraft launched June 12 as part of a rideshare mission on a…