Forge Nano, Inc., a leading U.S.-based semiconductor equipment and advanced materials company pioneering Atomic Layer Deposition (“ALD”) technology for artificial intelligence (“AI”)-era chip manufacturing and defense battery applications, which has signed an agreement to merge with Archimedes Tech SPAC Partners II Co. (“Archimedes II”), today announced a Joint Development Agreement (“JDA”) with Nanexa AB to develop scalable pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities for Nanexa’s PharmaShell® drug delivery platform and its portfolio of proprietary and partnered programs.
Under the agreement, Forge Nano and Nanexa will collaborate on the development of a large scale GMP-compliant ALD manufacturing equipment intended to support clinical development and potential future commercial-scale production across the Nanexa’s PharmaShell® portfolio. The infrastructure and process know-how potentially gained through the collaboration will find its use in multiple PharmaShell®-enabled therapeutic programs.
Nanexa’s PharmaShell® technology is designed to enable long-acting formulations through precisely engineered nanoscale coatings using the ALD technology. The platform can be applied to a broad range of active pharmaceutical ingredients, including small molecules and biologics, across multiple therapeutic areas. The collaboration combines Nanexa’s expertise in drug delivery and pharmaceutical development with Forge Nano’s capabilities in industrial ALD process development and equipment engineering. The broad potential of the platform is further illustrated by NEX-22, Nanexa’s proprietary GLP-1 program, where preclinical and clinical proof of concept have demonstrated the feasibility of achieving a once-monthly depot formulation.
“This agreement demonstrates the potential to apply Forge Nano’s ALD expertise to pharmaceutical manufacturing, where process control, repeatability, and scalability are critical,” said Paul Lichty, Chief Executive Officer of Forge Nano. “Through this collaboration, we intend to establish flexible manufacturing capabilities that can support a wide range of PharmaShell®-enabled products as they progress towards clinical and commercial scale.”
The agreement builds on the companies’ existing relationship and is intended to create a pathway towards increased manufacturing capacity as Nanexa’s proprietary and partnered PharmaShell® programs progress through development. These include Nanexa’s internal product portfolio, its license agreement with Moderna and other undisclosed collaborations with pharmaceutical companies. Any future commercialization of PharmaShell®-enabled products remain subject to successful development, regulatory approvals and other factors.
This collaboration is an important milestone, and the timing of the partnership is well aligned with our project portfolio and provides a clear path towards increased manufacturing capacity as our projects advance.”
David Westberg, CEO, Nanexa
“As our programs progress and interest from pharmaceutical partners continues to increase, access to scalable manufacturing solutions becomes increasingly important. Forge Nano brings substantial expertise in industrial ALD technology and will help position Nanexa for future commercial manufacturing needs,” said Mårten Rooth, CTO of Nanexa.
