Varda appoints former Pfizer R&D chief Mikael Dolsten to its board

Varda appoints former Pfizer R&D chief Mikael Dolsten to its board

On August 3, Varda Space Industries announced that Mikael Dolsten had joined its board of directors. Dolsten led research and development at Pfizer for 16 years, during which the company secured approvals for more than 36 medicines and vaccines. Varda processes pharmaceutical materials in microgravity and returns them to Earth.

A drug can begin with the same molecule but end up with different crystal forms. The crystal lattice determines how the substance dissolves, the dose delivered to the patient, and the manufacturing process. On Earth, particle sedimentation and fluid flow affect crystal growth. Both effects are weaker in microgravity, which can allow the material to assemble differently.

Varda is testing this approach with spacecraft that conduct experiments in orbit and return the samples in capsules. In an April 8 article in npj Microgravity, researchers described three vials containing approximately 150 milligrams of ritonavir, an HIV drug. After eight months in orbit and the return to Earth, every sample retained crystal form III and remained chemically stable. For this type of manufacturing, the result tests the entire process: producing the material in flight, returning it to Earth, and transferring it for further analysis.

After landing, the sample is studied on Earth. This is where researchers connect the properties of the resulting form to a future formulation. In May, Varda and United Therapeutics agreed to study formulations of small molecules for rare lung diseases across several orbital missions.

Dolsten has direct experience with this stage of development. According to his GV biography, more than 150 candidates entered clinical studies during his tenure at Pfizer R&D. In Varda’s announcement, he described the task as follows:

“Make pharmaceutical manufacturing in space reliable and reproducible, then turn that capability into medicines for patients.”

The appointment adds pharmaceutical development expertise to this process. The orbital environment changes the conditions of crystal growth. The return capsule makes the resulting material available for analysis. Drug development then determines whether that form can be used in a formulation and taken through regulatory approval. In this sense, Dolsten brings Varda expertise in the stage between a space experiment and pharmaceutical development. The company itself describes its goal as making the manufacturing process reliable and reproducible, then turning its output into medicines for patients.