WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Feb. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Varda’s/close partner’s satellite “W-1” was launched into space to demonstrate Varda’s spacecraft & reentry capabilities and pharmaceutical hardware functionality, paving the way for microgravity-enabled drug development. While in low earth orbit, melt/cool experiments were successfully conducted on ritonavir. Varda’s capsule successfully touched down in the Utah Desert at the Utah Test and Training Range on February 21st, 2024, marking the first time in our nation’s history that a commercial entity landed a spacecraft on US soil. The pharmaceutical samples housed within the capsule are now with Improved Pharma for post-flight analysis and characterization.
The samples recovered from the spacecraft were received by a team of Improved Pharma and Varda scientists and engineers. The ritonavir crystals grown in microgravity are being thoroughly analyzed by a variety of techniques to assess the purity, polymorphic form, melting point, and crystallinity. The scientific findings will be published as soon as possible.
In 2021, Improved Pharma and Varda initiated a partnership focused on advancing pharmaceutical product development in microgravity. Their first joint research project was published in 2022 and announced the discovery of a new form of ritonavir. This research was recognized by Organic Process Research & Development as a “remarkable accomplishment from the scientific literature that is expected to be relevant and important with future practical applications.”
About Improved Pharma
Improved Pharma is a research, consulting, and information company dedicated to improving pharmaceutical methods, formulations, and processes. Services include solid-state form studies, formulation design, synchrotron techniques, analytical testing, and expert consulting for the development and defense of intellectual property matters. The company was founded in 2006 by Stephen and Sarah Byrn, who also founded SSCI. For more information about Improved Pharma’s services, please contact us at 1-765-463-9951 or info@improvedpharma.com.
About Varda Space Industries
Varda is a venture capital-backed company creating the first free-flying space stations and reentry vehicles ready-built for materials processing. Microgravity found in low Earth Orbit (LEO) makes it possible to precisely control the crystallization process during development and manufacturing to create valuable pharmaceutical products that cannot be created on Earth’s surface. Varda has raised $53m+ from a cadre of world-class venture capital firms including, but not limited to: Founders Fund, Lux Capital, Caffeinated Capital, Khosla Ventures, and General Catalyst. For more information about Varda please contact press@varda.com or visit varda.com.