Juan Silanes
Inosan Biopharma
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Disruptive Technology Solutions to Improve Health Access

By Miriam Bello | Thu, 05/20/2021 - 14:37

Q: What is the status of the clinical trials for Inosan’s treatment against COVID-19?

A: We are about to begin volunteer enrollment for clinical trials. We are slightly behind because we are working with the authorities to move the process as quickly as possible. Our team has agreed with the centers that will participate in the initial phase before escalating it to other hospitals.

Inosan is also looking forward to our conversation with WHO to introduce our treatment in more countries. I am confident it will be received positively as we have worked with the organization on other treatments like our antivenoms. We are also approaching the US' FDA because this is a valuable solution.

Q: What are your expectations regarding this treatment’s efficacy against the different COVID-19 variants?

A: The platform used for the treatment is perfectly able to integrate the COVID-19 variants into its response. This is among the benefits of Inosan’s patented technology. Moreover, using this technology as a base for other treatments allowed us to quickly respond to the pandemic.

COVID-19 variants will continue to emerge and we will certainly be updating our treatments accordingly.

Q: Inosan shared that it made no profit from Inoserp Pan-Africa. How does the company ensure this level of accessibility without compromising investment in production and R&D?

A: Inoserp has been consolidating on the African market. We have been offering our technology at a low cost because we wanted to prove the effectiveness and safety of our complex solution. We have identified a growing market in Africa for this development. This is partly why our investors have supported us through the first stages of introducing Inoserp to Africa.

We are already seeing the results from this investment. Our team and our investors are motivated by the same mindset, which is to make a difference. Therefore, we are entering unknown markets with neglected diseases instead of going for easy solutions in mature markets. We want to create a business with a social impact.

Q: How will Inosan approach the Mexican market with its biotechnology solutions?

A: All our solutions are based on developing antibodies. So far, we have focused on three important lines. The first is the development of antivenoms, which allowed us to work in complex markets. The second is antivirus, with COVID-19 being our first project, although we are beginning to develop other antiviral products that are in very early stages. The third line is antitoxins like antirabies, which is a global need that has been neglected and offered at a very high price.

Developing countries are an attractive target for anatoxin solutions. In the near future, Inosan will target these markets with products for snakebites, scorpion stings and our COVID-19 therapy. The latter has received attention from the government, which helped accelerate its development.

This year is a one of consolidation for the company. As a young business, it is exciting to see how relatively quickly we were able to grow thanks to our innovative value proposition. We have been focused on developing biotechnology and we are now focusing on increasing access to these developments.

Q: Why would you recommend Mexico as an investment destination for healthcare R&D?

A: The key is to find exactly what will make the company disruptive. In the health industry there is much room to innovate and be creative in the approach to the many healthcare ailments of the population. In other industries, such as tech or finance, disruptive solutions tend to arise quite often and the pharmaceutical industry still has areas of opportunity to address. By nature, this has been a conservative industry but there are ways to offer truly innovative approaches. Our approach comes from the roots of the company and its will to be disruptive. Companies need to take advantage of new technologies to solve long-time health burdens.

Inosan, for instance, began studying how antibodies develop in antivenoms, antitoxins and antivirals to identify how we could improve their efficacy and safety. Instead of conforming with what the market had to offer, we looked beyond to make novel use of the existing technology. In this industry, it is common to compete on developing the latest technology but existing technology still has much to offer. It is also important to consider access when using technology, otherwise there is no real value to it. Inosan has a strong social commitment that is reflected in how we build an easier and better approach with patients, regulators and clients.


Inosan Biopharma, also known as The Antivenom Company, has developed a unique production platform to make safe, effective and affordable antivenoms available. They distribute their products mostly in Africa and the Middle East.

Miriam Bello Miriam Bello Journalist and Industry Analyst