Visit demonstrates U.S. commitment to
bolstering the domestic biotechnology industry and onshoring
critical supply chains, including pharmaceuticals
MENLO
PARK, Calif. , May 6, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Antheia, the pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturer
transforming essential medicine supply chains, today hosted
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken
for a tour of its state of the art labs, as well as a discussion on
biotechnology innovation and leadership in the United States. During his visit, Secretary
Blinken met with a panel of industry and policy experts from Atomic
AI, Ginkgo Bioworks, MycoWorks, Stanford
University, and Twist Bioscience. The discussion was
moderated by Christina Smolke,
Ph.D., CEO and co-founder at Antheia and focused on the critical
role of biotechnology to U.S. national and economic security, the
need for strong international partnerships to develop solutions for
global good, and the urgency to maintain U.S. leadership in this
critical emerging technology.
"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," said Dr. Smolke, CEO
and co-founder, Antheia. "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."
On September 12, 2022, President
Biden issued Executive Order 14081, "Advancing Biotechnology and
Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure
American Bioeconomy." According to the White House, "global
industry is on the cusp of an industrial revolution powered by
biotechnology." As part of the scope of the biomanufacturing
executive order, the Department of State is working to promote and
protect U.S. technologies and the global bioeconomy.
By Antheia's estimates, advanced biomanufacturing can enable
domestic production of over 50 percent of the key starting
materials (KSMs) and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs)
underlying essential medicines at a fraction of the time and cost
of conventional manufacturing. Antheia's first product, thebaine,
is a key ingredient used in the production of several drugs on the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the World Health
Organization's Essential Medicines lists. Antheia's processes have
been validated at scale, demonstrating this technology's viability,
commercial-readiness, and societal impact.
About Antheia
Antheia is the next-generation
pharmaceutical ingredient producer transforming essential medicine
supply chains to end drug shortages. Using its novel whole-cell
engineering approach, Antheia's biomanufacturing platform enables
the reconstruction of biosynthetic pathways of unprecedented
complexity in yeast cells and the scaling of fermentation processes
to commercial levels. This highly flexible approach enables
on-demand, agile, and resilient biomanufacturing of critical
pharmaceutical ingredients, replacing legacy approaches that cannot
support the needs of modern healthcare. For more information, visit
www.antheia.bio.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Mission North for Antheia
antheia@missionnorth.com
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SOURCE Antheia