3D printing for individualized medicine! Founded in Montpellier in late 2023 by Stéphane Roulon, a researcher in 3D printing at Sanofi, and Ian Soulairol, a hospital pharmacist at the Carémeau University Hospital in Nîmes, MB Therapeutics has developed a unique solution that enables pharmacists to produce individualized medicines in their own pharmacies equipped with a preparation area, or in hospital pharmacies.
The startup's highly innovative solution is based on pharmaceutical cartridges containing the various ingredients, including the molecule for the prescribed medicine and an industrial-grade 3D printer. Pharmacies and hospital pharmacies can then launch a plug-and-play printing process to produce the medicine tailored to each patient's therapeutic needs.
This truly groundbreaking solution provides industry-grade precision and safety in manufacturing. Above all, it gives pharmacists the ability to make orodispersible medicines that could not be produced in pharmacies or hospitals until now.
“Our company will be the first in France to develop individualized drugs that can be produced in pharmacies using 3D printing,” points out Stéphane Roulon.
MB Therapeutics plans to launch its first three drugs by 2026, although it has not yet disclosed their names. And with good reason: the European market is estimated to be worth nearly $3 billion in Europe and $12 billion worldwide.
Aiming to become the leader in pharmacy-produced personalized medicine, the company has recently finalized an initial round of funding worth €2 million, half in capital and half in dilutive securities. The funding round was led by Beprep, Calyseed, Angels Santé, Bpifrance, and business angels, notably Sébastien Gallice, president of the learned society of French preparatory pharmacists (PREF).
This round of funding will enable the company to ramp up its activities. Assisted by the Montpellier BIC incubator, MB Therapeutics has moved out of its facilities at the Faculty of Pharmacy and into the Ateliers Relais du Millénaire relay workshops, where it now occupies 325 square meters dedicated to the production of its first three customized drugs.
The company is delighted with the assistance it received from Montpellier Métropole:
“It wasn't easy to find facilities that met the strict pharmaceutical requirements of our business. The Montpellier Métropole Business Set-up Department played a key role in meeting our needs," confirms Stéphane Roulon, whose company has currently invested €600,000 in equipment, including the construction of a clean room for producing pharmaceutical cartridges.
MB Therapeutics was also one of the laureates of the first Start Lab Santé/Première Marche Santé, (Start Lab Health/First Step Health) program, created by Montpellier BIC. “The program helped us get our project off to a good start,” adds Stéphane Roulon, whose startup is fully aligned with the MedVallée initiative, contributing in particular to France's independence in the field of medicine.
Photos ©Gilles Lefrancq ©Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
