The Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) has launched a platform for developing and scaling technologies for the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for both generics and innovative drugs. The university reported that development is intended to be carried out on a full-cycle basis.
The establishment of the Workshop cluster at the university was described as “a natural response to the demands of the growing domestic pharmaceutical industry,” specifically the need to localize the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) within Russia. According to MIPT, collaborations between pharmaceutical companies and university research groups will enable the implementation of full-scale projects to develop innovative Russian medicines.
According to its creators, the site’s uniqueness lies in its capacity to conduct turnkey projects—from the laboratory synthesis of milligrams of a novel compound to pilot-scale testing of its production technology in industrial reactors with a capacity of up to 100 liters. The cluster’s infrastructure features a variety of chemical reactors, industrial centrifuges, and other equipment for process scaling. This addresses a critical industry challenge by reducing the time and costs required for pharmaceutical companies to launch production and by decreasing their reliance on foreign suppliers of raw materials,” the report states.
Furthermore, the platform will be capable of addressing challenges associated with the manufacturing of niche pharmaceutical products. “The ideal scenario involves identifying in-demand products and raw materials needed by pharmaceutical companies, whose production would be economically viable for us. In this way, the Workshop represents our transition from providing services to manufacturing our own products,” stated Anton Alasheev, Head of the MIPT Preclinical Research Laboratory.
Two years ago, MIPT introduced a novel method for assessing drug cardiotoxicity. The innovative i-CARDIO technology enables the assessment of a drug’s potential danger to the heart during preclinical studies.