Pharma Partnership Unlocks a New Era for Hard-to-Make Medicines

GEORGETOWN, TX – June 30, 2026 – A landmark collaboration announced today is set to dismantle one of the pharmaceutical industry's most persistent roadblocks, potentially accelerating the delivery of life-changing medicines to patients worldwide. AustinPx, a specialized contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), has partnered with life sciences giant Thermo Fisher Scientific to dramatically expand commercial access to its revolutionary KinetiSol™ technology.

The agreement will see AustinPx’s proprietary equipment installed at two of Thermo Fisher's key U.S. facilities, creating an integrated, high-speed pathway for drug development. This isn't just a business deal; it's a direct assault on the problem of poor drug solubility, a challenge that stalls or terminates the development of up to 90% of new drug candidates. By combining AustinPx's disruptive innovation with Thermo Fisher's global manufacturing prowess, the partnership promises to turn once-shelved molecules into viable therapies.

A New Solution for an Old Problem

For decades, formulation scientists have grappled with a fundamental paradox: a promising drug molecule is useless if the body cannot absorb it. This issue, known as poor bioavailability, is often caused by a drug's inability to dissolve in water. The industry’s go-to solution has been Amorphous Solid Dispersions (ASDs), which trap drug molecules in a high-energy, non-crystalline state within a polymer, making them more soluble.

However, the two dominant ASD manufacturing methods, spray drying (SD) and hot-melt extrusion (HME), have significant limitations. Spray drying requires large volumes of organic solvents, creating environmental concerns and complex, costly manufacturing steps. Hot-melt extrusion uses high heat for extended periods, which can degrade the sensitive, complex molecules that represent the future of medicine.

This is where KinetiSol technology changes the game. Developed by AustinPx, KinetiSol is a fusion-based, solvent-free process that uses frictional and shear energy to create an ASD in under 20 seconds, with peak temperatures lasting for less than five. This lightning-fast, low-heat-exposure process opens up a vastly larger formulation design space. It can handle molecules that are too sensitive for HME's heat or too insoluble in organic solvents for SD to be practical. In one internal study, a drug candidate that degraded severely during HME was successfully formulated using KinetiSol with minimal impurities, demonstrating the technology's ability to succeed where others fail.

“This agreement marks an important milestone for AustinPx, our clients, and the growing number of molecules enabled by KinetiSol Technology,” said Elizabeth Hickman, CEO of AustinPx. “Thermo Fisher’s agreement with KinetiSol provides important external validation from an established global CDMO with deep experience in advanced formulation technologies and commercial manufacturing.”

The Strategic Alliance Reshaping Drug Manufacturing

For Thermo Fisher Scientific, this collaboration is a shrewd strategic move. By becoming the exclusive third-party CDMO provider of the KinetiSol Formulator, it adds a powerful and unique tool to its already extensive arsenal. The company’s Bend, Oregon site, a Center of Excellence for solubility enhancement, will handle early-phase development, while its massive Cincinnati, Ohio facility will manage late-phase and commercial manufacturing. This creates a seamless, de-risked pathway for clients, from initial clinical trials to market launch, all within one network.

“The addition of KinetiSol Technology strengthens our advanced oral drug delivery capabilities and provides customers with greater flexibility as they move innovative therapies from IND approval to commercialization,” said Jennifer Cannon, President, Commercial, Biopharma Services, Thermo Fisher Scientific. “This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to enabling solutions for challenging molecules and improving access to critical treatments for patients worldwide.”

For AustinPx's clients, the partnership removes a critical barrier to commercialization. Previously, they might have developed a promising formulation using KinetiSol only to face uncertainty about how to scale it for global production. Now, they have a proven, high-volume manufacturing route through one of the world's most respected CDMOs.

From Lab Bench to Global Scale: The KinetiSol Journey

This partnership is the culmination of a remarkable growth story for AustinPx. While the company's roots trace back to 2007 as DisperSol Technologies, its focused relaunch as a CDMO in 2022 marked a turning point. In just a few years, its KinetiSol technology has seen rapid adoption, being utilized by over 70 pharmaceutical and biotech firms, including seven of the top ten largest pharmaceutical companies.

This rapid ascent is a testament to the technology's efficacy and the pressing need it addresses. The industry has taken notice, honoring AustinPx with both the CPHI Accelerating Innovation Award and the Interphex Best Technologies Innovation Award in 2024. The collaboration with Thermo Fisher is not just a partnership; it's the ultimate validation, elevating a specialized, disruptive technology from a niche solution to a new industry standard and demonstrating how focused innovation can intersect with global scale to reshape an entire sector.

Greener, Faster, and More Economical

The impact of this alliance extends beyond scientific and business strategy to the core principles of sustainable and efficient manufacturing. By completely eliminating the need for organic solvents, KinetiSol drastically reduces the environmental footprint associated with traditional ASD production. It cuts waste streams, lowers carbon emissions, and removes the energy-intensive steps of solvent handling and recovery, aligning with the pharmaceutical industry's growing commitment to green chemistry.

The economic benefits are just as compelling. The technology's streamlined scalability—compressing timelines from months to weeks—and faster processing can reduce the cost of goods by an estimated 30-50%. In a world where development costs are soaring, making manufacturing more efficient and affordable can be the deciding factor in whether a new drug becomes accessible to the patients who need it.

By providing a faster, greener, and more effective way to formulate challenging drugs, the fusion of AustinPx's innovation and Thermo Fisher's manufacturing might is poised to not only unlock new medicines but also redefine the future of pharmaceutical development itself.