Helsinki-based CurifyLabs, a healthtech company, has secured €6.7M in funding to advance the manufacturing of compounded medications suited for the specific individual needs of patients.
The round was led by Springvest, a Finnish growth funding initiative supported by private investors, and includes a €1M deeptech loan from Business Finland. CurifyLabs plans to use the funds to expand its operations and attract high-volume customers.
CurifyLabs has now raised €17.6M to date and operates offices in Finland, the US, and Germany.
Reworking how personalised medicines are made
Compounded medications are used when standard drugs do not meet patient needs due to issues such as dosage, allergies, or supply shortages. The global market for these medicines is valued at €15B and is growing at a rate of 5.5 per cent annually, influenced by population ageing, chronic conditions, and supply chain challenges.
Personalised medicines are made by pharmacists when standard drugs don’t meet patient needs. This manual process is used for certain groups, like children and cancer patients. Despite rising demand, only 1 per cent of drugs are prepared this way, and 50 per cent of medicines aren’t available in child-appropriate forms.
Charlotta Topelius, CEO and co-founder of CurifyLabs, says, “The current approach to manufacturing compounded medications is outdated and poorly optimised – failing both pharmacies and the patients they serve. Even with highly trained pharmacists and modern equipment, the process remains unnecessarily labour-intensive, prone to human error, and inconsistent in quality. This can mean that patients with serious conditions may not receive accurate dosages tailored to critical factors like age, weight, and disease severity.”
“The consequences are real: a 9-month-old baby with cancer, for example, cannot swallow standard tablets and requires a carefully customised formulation. It’s time to work together and modernise how we deliver personalised medicine – because every patient deserves treatment that truly fits their needs.”
Streamline compounded medicine production
CurifyLabs, working with pharmacists and building on years of research, has created a system to automate the production of compounded medicines.
The Compounding System Solution brings together carrier agents, active ingredients, hardware, software, and quality control to support the preparation of tailored medications.
The process uses CurifyLabs’ excipient bases mixed with active ingredients from raw materials or crushed tablets. The mixture is then dispensed into the required form, such as tablets or liquid, by a desktop compounding robot called the Pharma Printer. A cloud-based formulation library provides step-by-step guidance for pharmacists, and built-in quality control tools help ensure consistent dosing and reduce manual errors.
Aki Soudunsaari, CEO of Springvest Plc, says, “CurifyLabs addresses critical inefficiencies in pharmaceutical compounding while significantly improving medication safety and efficacy for vulnerable patients, like children.”
“We’re seeing rapid growth of the global compounding market, which presents an exceptional opportunity for new solutions that have the potential to be ten times better than the existing ways to solve the same challenges.”
Soudunsaari adds, “Simultaneously, CurifyLabs’ entry into the US market, where the vast majority of compounding manufacturing occurs, positions CurifyLabs for substantial growth. We’re delighted to partner with them and we’re confident that the company’s decisive growth steps and innovative approach will make a meaningful difference in people’s everyday lives, globally.”
Launch of RoboPharma
Besides the funding, CurifyLabs has also announced the launch of RoboPharma, a €5.6M project supported by the EU4Health programme.
The project will create a decentralised pharmaceutical manufacturing system using AI and robotics. Its purpose is to strengthen medicine production at the point of care and reduce reliance on centralised supply chains.
CurifyLabs is leading the effort with six partners across Europe. The platform will be designed for use in hospitals and community pharmacies to help maintain access to medicines during crises.
Co-founder Topelius says, “We have already started operations in the US and are aiming to grow quickly through securing high-volume customers. Automated manufacturing of personalised medicine will provide better medication safety for patients and help pharmacies lower operating costs.”
“We are going to see a major paradigm shift in the manufacturing of personalised medicine, driven by ageing populations, chronic diseases, supply chain disruptions, patient demand, and other factors.”
