Uppsala-based start-up company Ilya Pharma was among the very first customers to run their project at Testa Center and to use its bio-process equipment.
Ilya Pharma was founded in 2016 based on ground-breaking research from Uppsala University and Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and has today grown to a team of 15 people. The company “has developed its own proprietary technology platform based on the use of living lactic acid bacteria” and are dedicated to “developing the next-generation biological drugs for treating wound in skin and mucosa” (www.ilyapharma.se)
During 2018 the company, as well as their pharmaceutical project, rapidly developed and performed final safety studies and GMP production is under way. Through co-financing from Swelife Ilya Pharma was also given the opportunity to validate its manufacturing process on a large scale and to build valuable industrial knowledge at Testa Center.
Before entering Testa Center, Evelina Vågsjö, CEO of Ilya Pharma, said that :
“We are happy to be one of the chosen innovative companies to validate our bio-process here at the Testa Center. This opportunity is an add on project for us where we can significantly reduce risk and accelerate time to the clinical trial and also in the whole drug development. For biologic medical products , a stable manufacturing process is key.”
Evelina Vågsjö, CEO of Ilya Pharma.
With the project completed, Evelina Vågsjö stated that “Testa Center has helped us to reduce the risk in our project and enhanced our journey towards clinical trials. It has also helped us secure financing for the project”. A clear testimonial for the value that Testa Center brings to the clients.
During their project at Testa Center, Ilya Pharma raised 30 MSEK (3 MEUR) in a new emission. The plan for the coming year is to initiate clinical trials. The product is estimated to reach the market at the earliest in 2025.