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Antheia, manufacturer of a major Narcan ingredient, raised a $56 million Series C round, co-founder and CEO Christina Smolke tells Axios.

Why it matters: The funding comes as the Trump administration mulls deep cuts to federal public health programs.

How it works: Antheia has developed a biomanufacturing platform that promises to bypass common supply chain snags and efficiently produce biosynthetic ingredients used to develop a range of essential medicines.

"We focus on medicines that play a critical role in public health … but for which there are challenges with how they are currently being produced that result in supply chain disruptions (and) global shortages of medications," Smolke says.

Antheia's first commercial ingredient is thebaine, an alkaloid commonly used to make Narcan, the life-saving medication used to reverse opioid overdoses, but Antheia has more than 70 additional products in its pipeline.

"We've developed our pipeline so that we … can launch one to two new products per year," Smolke says.

Follow the money: The Series C was led by Global Health Investment Corporation and EDBI.

ATHOS KG, Federov, Viking Global Investors, Sherpalo Ventures, S-Cubed Capital, In-Q-Tel and Civilization Ventures also participated.

The big picture: Biosynthetic ingredients, usually made with the fermentation of genetically engineered yeast, bacteria or algae, can be a more sustainable method to traditional chemical synthesis or extracting natural resources.

The pharmaceutical industry has long sold diabetic patients synthetic insulin made with recombinant DNA technology, which helped "launch the entire biologics era within pharma," Smolke says.

Friction point: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is facing severe funding cuts, and will be integrated into the newly minted Administration for a Healthy America as part of HHS restructuring. 

While it's a prescription drug, many states have implemented legal structures to let harm reduction programs, pharmacies and community organizations buy and distribute Narcan. 

A loss in federal funding could force states to reprioritize resources for those programs. 

Catch up quick: Before launching Antheia in 2017, Smolke was a professor, first at Caltech and later at Stanford, where she developed the genesis of what could become Antheia.

What's next: New funding will help Antheia expand commercialization of thebaine and launch other ingredients, as demand grows from pharma customers. 

The financing will also support Antheia's effort to begin manufacturing in the U.S. following two recent agreements worth a combined $23 million with the U.S. government to onshore production.

"The U.S. can play a really critical and competitive role in terms of leveraging biomanufacturing to rebuild its domestic manufacturing capacity," Smolke says.

Narcan ingredient maker Antheia raises $56M to expand platform

The funding comes as the Trump administration mulls deep cuts to federal public health programs.

Illustration of a hand holding a pill surrounded by various shapes and money

Antheia, manufacturer of a major Narcan ingredient, raised a $56 million Series C round, co-founder and CEO Christina Smolke tells Axios.Why it matters: The funding comes as the Trump administration mulls deep cuts to federal public health programs.

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Narcan ingredient maker Antheia raises $56M to expand platform

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