Antheia Announces $17 Million in Funding for Domestic Pharmaceutical Ingredient Production

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Antheia announced that it has received $17 million in funding to be used for projects focused on building domestic pharmaceutical production sites.¹ The pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturer obtained the funding through the Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Preparedness Consortium, and it reports that it has received matching support from strategic investors.

The development of domestic ingredient manufacturing sites is considered by many in the the industry to be an important step in strengthening the national pipeline and preventing (or limiting) future drug shortages.

In a press release, Antheia CEO and co-founder Christina Smolke said, “Biotechnology has a critical role to play in U.S. national and economic security. With the support of both the public and private sectors, we can leverage this technology to bolster essential medicine production in the U.S., with an agile, scalable biomanufacturing approach that leapfrogs existing pharmaceutical manufacturing practices."

"The U.S. is a leader in biomanufacturing, synthetic biology, and computational biology, but there is more we must do to scale these advanced technologies to solve global problems like essential medicine shortages," said Eugene Chiu, Senior Partner, IQT. "We are excited to support Antheia in advancing the U.S. bioeconomy and building resilient pharmaceutical supply chains."

"Antheia's disruptive innovation is dramatically changing the outlook for security and resiliency of our biopharmaceutical supply chains," said Christian Kanady, Founding Partner & CEO, Echo. "We are proud to partner in advancing Antheia's groundbreaking technologies and importantly renewing the domestic bioeconomy in the process."

In May of this year, Secretary of State Antony Blinken toured multiple labs owned and operated by Antheia and participated in a panel with industry experts focused on the need for biotechnology innovation in the United States.²

At the time, Smolke said, “We are grateful to Secretary Blinken for his time and attention today, as well as the U.S. government's continued commitment to advancing biotechnology and biomanufacturing. With the ongoing support of both the public and private sectors, a future with resilient, sustainable pharmaceutical supply chains, minimal disruptions to critical drug supplies, and equitable access to essential medicines for all is well-within reach."

Antheia announced its first successful product validation in January for thebaine, marking a key moment in the company’s plans to start producing ingredients for clients on a global scale.³

In a press release issued at the time, Antheia’s COO Zack McGahey said, “Achieving process validation with a novel bio-based process in just one year is phenomenal and speaks volumes to the technical capabilities of our R&D and operations teams. As a company, we've demonstrated the viability and robustness of our platform at commercial scale and have established the foundation for the future of resilient pharmaceutical supply chains."

In the same press release, Smolke added, “Achieving this next milestone of a successful validation campaign comes on the heels of a hallmark year of transformative growth for Antheia and is a testament to our team's unwavering dedication to ending drug shortages. We saw widespread industry commitment to our first products in 2023 and as we begin a new year, we are laser-focused on our commercial strategy to ship our first orders in 2024."

Sources

Antheia Announces New Funding to Support Domestic Production of Critical Pharmaceutical Ingredients. Antheia. July 19, 2024. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/antheia-announces-new-funding-to-support-domestic-production-of-critical-pharmaceutical-ingredients-302201074.html

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken Tours Antheia, Discusses the Importance of Biotechnology Innovation in the United States. Antheia. May 6, 2024. Accessed July 19, 2024. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/secretary-of-state-antony-j-blinken-tours-antheia-discusses-the-importance-of-biotechnology-innovation-in-the-united-states-302137330.html

Antheia Completes Successful Product Validation. Antheia. January 8, 2024. Accessed July 19, 2024. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/antheia-completes-successful-product-validation-302026695.html