2023-08-25 04:10:00
Global warming has increased the occurrence and frequency of epidemics, prompting countries to urgently develop drugs to combat pathogens. To accelerate drug development, pharmaceutical companies are now conducting experiments in space. These experiments aim to test drugs for diseases such as ovarian cancer, breast cancer,
brain injury, Parkinson’s, and influenza. The cost of these drug experiments on the International Space Station amounted to approximately $7.5 million or 260 million baht.
As the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, the significance of medicine has become increasingly prominent. With the world transitioning into an aging society, the importance of medicine in alleviating and treating diseases cannot be overstated.
Global warming has made disease outbreaks more common, according to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. This has resulted in a race among countries to develop drugs to keep up with the evolving pathogens, leading to substantial investments in the pharmaceutical industry.
Apart from conducting drug experiments on Earth, many pharmaceutical companies are spending millions of dollars to test drugs in space. The question arises: why invest in testing drugs in outer space, considering the lack of oxygen and logistical challenges?
According to the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), space offers unique conditions that the Earth cannot replicate. The weightlessness experienced in space, coupled with increased radiation from the sun, creates an environment that enhances the effectiveness of drugs and reduces the time required for testing and development.
This opportunity has led to the emergence of space startups, such as Varda Space Industries in the United States. These companies aim to capitalize on the potential of space testing for drugs. German pharmaceutical company Merck has also shown interest in this field.
Transporting drugs to space for testing involves storing the experimental drugs in a capsule vehicle weighing around 90 kilograms. These capsules are then carried by satellites, and space exploration company SpaceX provides the service of sending these satellites into orbit around the Earth.
During the testing phase, robots controlled from Earth are used to conduct experiments on the drugs instead of human subjects. When it is time to return to Earth, the capsule detaches from the satellite and reenters the atmosphere at a speed of over 30,577 kilometers per hour, deploying a parachute to ensure a safe landing.
Varda’s recent mission marked its first trial in space. The company successfully launched its vehicle into deep space on June 12, 2023, from a launch base in California, United States. However, the challenge lies in ensuring that the experimental pills remain intact during reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere.
Varda’s research focuses on drugs such as Ritonavir for HIV and Paxlovid, Pfizer’s anti-COVID-19 pill. The company’s investment in space drug testing, including vehicle development and launch, has amounted to $40 million or approximately 1.4 billion baht. Varda still has enough reserves for three more experiments in case the current one fails.
In addition to Varda’s drug trials, experiments are also being conducted on the International Space Station by other pharmaceutical companies such as Merck and Bristol Myers Squibb. These companies are researching drugs like Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for certain types of cancer.
SpacePharma, another drug research company, has successfully tested drugs in space, including life-extending drugs and brain medicines. MicroQuin, a biotechnology company, has sent drugs for testing in space to treat ovarian cancer, breast cancer, brain injury, Parkinson’s, and influenza.
Despite the promising results of drug testing in space, it comes with significant cost challenges. From conducting experiments on the International Space Station to returning to Earth, the total cost amounts to approximately $7.5 million or about 260 million baht.
NASA has announced plans to cease operating the International Space Station by 2030. The station will be safely deorbited, transferring the responsibility of space operations to private companies. Axiom Space, an American space station company, is expected to take over post-2030.
In conclusion, advancements in space exploration have opened up new possibilities for pharmaceutical companies to test drugs in a satellite orbit, taking advantage of the unique environment of space. This allows for more efficient and thorough experiments compared to those conducted on Earth. However, the high costs and risks associated with transporting drugs into space and ensuring their safe return to Earth necessitate careful monitoring of these developments.
References: nationalacademies, varda, nasa, cnn, cnbc, theguardian]
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