BUSINESS INSIGHTS, PHARMA TECH
XtalPi Inc. | December 29, 2022
One of the pioneering pharmaceutical technology companies - XtalPi, powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, has recently announced a strategic collaboration with Singapore's national platform for drug discovery and development, the Experimental Drug Development Centre (EDDC), which is hosted by the Agency for Science, Technology, and Research of Singapore (A*STAR). The goal of this partnership is to find novel treatment candidates for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
“According to Research and Markets, the size of the global market for NSCLC treatments will surpass USD 20 billion by 2027”
Lung cancer is the second-most prevalent cancer worldwide and the leading cause of cancer-related mortality. NSCLC accounts for more than 80% of all lung cancer occurrences, while its incidence continues to rise worldwide. Despite growing interest and investment in drug research, there is a substantial unmet demand for effective targeted therapeutic alternatives for NSCLC patients to improve outcomes.
In this partnership, EDDC and XtalPi will work together to find promising candidates against an NSCLC target chosen by EDDC. XtalPi will use its AI technology, automation platform, and expert domain knowledge. It will also use quantum physics and an AI-driven platform to create and test millions of molecules for the De-novo drug design. Iterations will be used in its robotics-powered synthesis and testing lab to confirm and improve the predicted top-performing molecules with desirable drug properties. EDDC will give helpful information and data about the new NSCLC target, which will speed up the process of finding new drugs and carry the program forward.
XtalPi said in a statement that it is delighted to work with EDDC. It intends to help people all over the world by using AI and automation to improve the speed, size, variety, and success rate of drug research and development. In line with this, EDDC stated that it is excited to collaborate with XtalPi to translate science and research into practical and targeted cancer therapies. Furthermore, EDDC is confident that this collaboration will accelerate the development of much-needed targeted therapies for NSCLC patients due to XtalPi's experience in AI and automation technologies.
About XtalPi
XtalPi is a quantum physics-based, AI-powered drug R&D firm aiming to improve the speed, scale, novelty, and success rate of drug discovery. To meet the needs of its clients and partners, the company has offices in China and the United States. Frost & Sullivan cites the company as one of the world's first AI-powered drug R&D companies, with an iterative feedback loop between dry and wet lab capabilities.
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS, PHARMA TECH
Kindeva and | December 13, 2022
Kindeva Drug Delivery and Meridian Medical Technologies announced the completion of the transaction to combine the two companies. The combination has created a leading global contract development and manufacturing organization focused on drug-device combination products. The combination will operate under the Kindeva name, with Meridian operating as, “Meridian Medical Technologies, a Kindeva Company”.
The new Kindeva will have a broader range of drug delivery capabilities, with expertise and technology spanning the parenteral, inhalation, transdermal, and intradermal routes of administration. Milton Boyer, formerly the CEO of Meridian, has been named CEO of the newly combined company.
“The combination of Kindeva and Meridian creates a clear market leader in the drug-device CDMO sector. Customers will benefit from our enhanced scale and broader array of drug delivery solutions,”
Boyer
Kindeva, formerly known as 3M Drug Delivery Systems, was acquired by Altaris, LLC in 2020 from 3M Company. Kindeva is a global leader in drug-device combination products with a focus on inhalation, transdermal, and intradermal drug delivery. The company has a long track record of innovation, having invented the first metered dose inhaler in the 1950s.
Meridian was acquired by Altaris in December 2021 from Pfizer Inc. Meridian is a leading manufacturer of emergency autoinjectors, having pioneered the emergency autoinjector technology in the 1950s. Meridian owns over 300 patents related to autoinjector drug-device combination products.
ArentFox Schiff LLP and Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as legal counsel. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., Truist Securities, Inc. and KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc. acted as joint lead arrangers for the transaction.
About Kindeva
Kindeva is a global contract development manufacturing organization focused on drug-device combination products. Kindeva develops and manufactures products across a broad range of complex drug-delivery formats, including autoinjectors, inhalers, transdermal patches, and microneedles. Its service offering spans early-stage feasibility through commercial scale drug product fill-finish, container closure system manufacturing and drug-device product assembly. Kindeva serves a global client base from its nine manufacturing and research and development facilities located in the U.S. and U.K.
About Altaris, LLC
Altaris is a healthcare investment firm with an exclusive focus on building companies that deliver value to the healthcare system through innovation and efficiency. Since inception in 2003, Altaris has invested in 49 healthcare companies which have generated significant value appreciation for its investors. Altaris is headquartered in New York City and manages approximately $5 billion of equity capital.
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS, PHARMACY MARKET
XtalPi Inc. | December 20, 2022
XtalPi, a pioneering pharmaceutical technology company powered by artificial intelligence and automation, announced a strategic collaboration with the Experimental Drug Development Centre Singapore's national platform for drug discovery and development hosted by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research of Singapore to discover novel treatment candidates for non-small cell lung cancer.
Lung cancer is the second most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. NSCLC accounts for over 80% of all lung cancer cases and its incidence continues to increase globally. The estimated global market size for NSCLC therapeutics will exceed USD20 billion by 2027, according to Research and Markets. Despite increasing interest and investment in drug research, there remains significant unmet needs for effective targeted therapy options for NSCLC patients to achieve better outcomes.
In this collaboration, XtalPi joins forces with EDDC to apply its AI technology, automation platform, and expert domain knowledge to discover promising candidates against a NSCLC target chosen by EDDC. XtalPi will leverage its quantum physics and AI-driven platform to generate and screen through millions of molecules in de novo drug design. The predicted top-performing molecules with desirable drug properties will be validated and optimized in its robotics-powered synthesis and testing lab through iterations. EDDC will offer valuable insight and data on the novel NSCLC target, further accelerating the drug discovery process and propelling the program towards development.
"We are delighted to establish this strategic collaboration with EDDC. XtalPi is committed to serving patients globally by advancing the speed, scale, novelty, and success rate of drug R&D with AI and automation. Through this partnership, we hope to continue expanding our collaborations with top-tier research institutes in the booming Pan-Asia biotech community, drive the quick translation of new discoveries into much-needed therapeutics, and contribute to the improved health and longevity of patients in Asia and around the world."
Dr. Shuhao Wen, co-founder and chairman of XtalPi
Professor Damian O'Connell, Chief Executive Officer of EDDC, comments: "We are excited to partner XtalPi in the translation of science and research into effective and targeted therapies that enable the treatment of cancer. With XtalPi's expertise in AI and automation technologies, we are confident that this collaboration will accelerate the development of potential targeted therapy options for NSCLC patients, which are very much needed."
About XtalPi
Founded in 2014, XtalPi founders recognized a common hurdle in drug development having to do with solid polymorphism, which could be successfully tackled with quantum physics predictions. Since then, XtalPi has maintained its focus on identifying and then attacking traditional bottlenecks in biopharmaceutical R&D through innovative technologies. Through considerable capital investments in automation and personnel, XtalPi now has four locations worldwide and employs approximately 1000 employees.
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