Varda, United Therapeutics Target Rare Lung Disease in 1st Balance-Sheet-Funded Microgravity Drug Deal
Updated
Updated · Ars Technica · May 13
Varda, United Therapeutics Target Rare Lung Disease in 1st Balance-Sheet-Funded Microgravity Drug Deal
7 articles · Updated · Ars Technica · May 13
Wednesday’s agreement will use Varda’s orbital capsules and autonomous bioreactors to test whether microgravity can produce improved compounds for rare lung disease treatments.
The partners are focusing on how weightlessness changes crystal structure and crystallization, with the goal of improving drug stability and delivery.
Delian Asparouhov called it the first time a large public company has used its own balance sheet—rather than NASA funding—to build a product in microgravity.
Varda launched its first W-1 capsule in mid-2023 and has since sent up 5 more, offering a faster commercial alternative to ISS research that NASA long subsidized.
Is making drugs in orbit the future of medicine or just the world's most expensive patent extension scheme?
If manufacturing in space becomes common, who will own and regulate this new off-world pharmaceutical industry?
What other billion-dollar industries, beyond pharma, are now racing to build the first factories in Earth's orbit?
Space Drug Manufacturing Takes Off: Inside the 2027 Varda–United Therapeutics In-Orbit Trial for Rare Disease Breakthroughs
Overview
Varda Space Industries and United Therapeutics Corporation are launching an in-orbit drug trial in 2027, marking a major step toward using microgravity for advanced pharmaceutical development. This partnership focuses on creating improved drug formulations for rare pulmonary diseases, aiming to deliver breakthroughs for patients with limited treatment options. By harnessing the unique environment of space, the trial represents a new era for space-manufactured medicines and moves the industry closer to commercializing drug production beyond Earth. Varda plans to send United Therapeutics’ drugs into orbit, setting the stage for future innovations in space-based healthcare.