Uruguay's Xeptiva contributes to the flourishing of the country's scientific ecosystem by producing the first industrial batch of vaccines for clinical trials

Uruguay continues to consolidate its position as a center of excellence in innovation and life sciences with the milestone reached by Xeptiva Therapeutics. After more than a decade of research at the Neurodegeneration Laboratory of the Institut Pasteur in Montevideo, the Uruguayan company announced the successful production of its first industrial batch of GMP-quality vaccine, ready for clinical trials in Uruguay.

According to its CEO and co-founder, Josefina Correa, this milestone represents a significant advance in the field of biotechnology. “We are proud to announce that after more than 10 years of research and development, we have produced our first industrial batch of GMP-quality vaccine ready for clinical trials in Uruguay. This achievement highlights the transformative power of basic science and quality research,” the startup announced on LinkedIn.

The vaccine, designed to treat chronic pain in animals, is based on synthetic proteins that neutralize the mechanisms responsible for chronic inflammation and pain.

Xeptiva Therapeutics closed a US$2.5 million local and international investment round in August and now plans to expand its market internationally, with concrete plans to reach Latin America and the United States. According to information from the Uruguayan newspaper El País, “the capital injection will be aimed at obtaining regulatory approval from the Ministry of Livestock and its counterpart in other countries or regulatory agencies for the efficacy trial of the vaccine against osteoarthrosis in dogs, after it successfully achieved its first batch under strict quality control standards required for pharmaceutical manufacturing (GMP)”.

 “We have a clear vision of selling the product not only in Uruguay and Latin America, but also in the rest of the world. Internationalization is a medium-term plan but we are already making the necessary efforts to start selling our products in the rest of Latin America and in the United States,” he explained.

Xeptiva's success reflects the growth and collaboration within the Uruguayan scientific ecosystem. The scientists and architects of the business idea, Emiliano Trías and Luis Barbeito, together with Correa, created Xeptiva Therapeutics at the beginning of 2021, after more than 10 years of research. “At that time I was returning to Uruguay after living in the United States and I came across this development that Barbeito and Trías had made. We saw that it had a market potential and it was from there that we decided to start the company from Uruguay, where there is a lot of installed capacity to do science for the rest of the world,” said Correa.

Xeptiva maintains active alliances with local companies and institutions such as ATGen, where the vaccine is manufactured, and with the Faculty of Veterinary where clinical trials are carried out. According to Correa, “the scientific ecosystem in Uruguay is booming and constantly expanding. Today it is not what it was 10 years ago, obviously we are much better connected. There are many more links between academia and companies, there is dialogue”.

The collaboration with the Institut Pasteur in Montevideo was crucial for Xeptiva, which considers the laboratory as “the inception of this project, where everything came from”. 

In addition, the company received key support from the National Agency for Research and Innovation (ANII) and the investment and export promotion agency, Uruguay XXI. The former provided subsidies for technological development and the latter facilitated its participation in international trade fairs in the United States, Brazil, and Colombia.  

With an interdisciplinary team of 12 people, Xeptiva Therapeutics continues to be committed to developing innovative biotechnology solutions, marking a milestone on Uruguay's path to excellence in the life sciences. 

Long-term commitment

The Institut Pasteur of Montevideo highlighted the characteristics of the vaccine developed by Xeptiva, which has GMP quality, that is, it complies with a series of international manufacturing standards that guarantee its safety.

“This characteristic makes it possible for the new immunization to be applied in controlled clinical trials and demonstrate its efficacy in dogs with pain derived from osteoarthrosis. The results will validate its commercial approval and widespread use in dogs to improve the quality of life of pets,” explained Emiliano Trías, co-founder of Xeptiva.

Correa pointed out that the industrial production of this first vaccine would not have been possible without a significant investment of economic and human resources. “Unlike other sectors, biotechnology developments and innovation require a long-term commitment. This milestone not only represents a significant step forward for our startup, but also a demonstration of the transformative power of basic science and quality scientific research,” he revealed.