Drugs in Space

A startup thinks a lab in low-Earth orbit is the key to pharmaceutical breakthroughs

- By Ashlee Vance

One of the less intuitive benefits of the new Space Age could be breakthroughs in drug development. With the pressures of gravity stripped away, atoms and molecules behave differently, and researchers have long discussed making medicines and chemicals in low-Earth orbit.

Large pharmaceutical companies have been carrying out a limited number of these experiments for years. Merck & Co. used the International Space Station to refine the recipe for its cancer treatment Keytruda—its bestselling product, with more than $20 billion in annual sales. But the cost of working on the ISS is enormous, and its astronauts are often reluctant to make time in their schedule to handle potentially dangerous chemicals in such a confined space.

The emergence of the commercial space industry has made it easier and cheaper to reach orbit, and a startup called Varda Space Industries, based near Los Angeles, is betting that the time for orbital laboratories has finally arrived. It’s developed an automated drug lab that fits into a space capsule. About 3 feet across at its widest point, the capsule looks like a miniaturized version of the cone-shaped craft that bring humans back from the ISS.