Why pharma firms are going to Earth’s orbit in search of new cancer drugs — SkimNews
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- Varda Space Industries launched three autonomous capsules into orbit in October 2024, becoming the first company to deploy multiple commercial re-entry vehicles simultaneously for in-space manufacturing.
- Varda is using microgravity to grow highly ordered drug crystals, which could enable reformulation of intravenous cancer drugs into injectable forms by improving dissolution and stability.
- Space Forge demonstrated manufacturing processes aboard its ForgeStar-1 spacecraft to produce semiconductor 'seed wafers' in orbit, aiming to return finished materials before 2030.
- Dr Meganne Christian noted that microgravity reduces crystal defects in materials like graphene and semiconductors, potentially yielding higher-performance products compared to Earth-made versions.
- Michael Reilly emphasized that frequent experimental cycles—enabled by autonomous return capsules—are critical to aligning space manufacturing with the pace of modern drug development.
- UK’s MHRA is expected to publish a regulatory plan in 2024 clarifying how existing medicines rules apply to drugs manufactured in Earth’s orbit.
Why it matters: Pharmaceutical and materials companies gain a viable path to produce higher-efficacy drugs and advanced semiconductors in space, but must now prove repeatable success to justify costs—making Varda’s 17-mission pipeline by 2028 a critical benchmark for commercial viability.
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