“Sweden has excellent science, talent base and collaborative culture”
Improving established cancer treatments
– Our proprietary HyNap technology allows us to reformulate marketed protein kinase inhibitors, or PKIs, which are an important class of oncology drugs. The idea is straightforward but powerful: many life-saving oncology treatments are already well understood, but their use can still be limited by issues such as variability in drug exposure, dosing complexity, food effects or compatibility with other commonly used medicines.
– Our ambition is to take those established medicines and improve them in ways that can make treatment more predictable, more practical and potentially better tolerated for patients. Our lead product candidate, Dasynoc, is an improved formulation of dasatinib, developed for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Dasynoc is designed to improve predictability and convenience versus conventional dasatinib, including lower-dose bioequivalence and compatibility with acid-reducing medicines, while Nilopki extends the same HyNap approach to nilotinib. Xspray’s current focus is to move from formulation science and late-stage development into commercial oncology execution, with the United States as our first major target market.
From scientific innovation to commercialisation
– What attracted me to Xspray was the combination of strong science, a clear medical rationale and a company entering a very important stage of its development. Xspray is applying a differentiated technology platform to medicines that physicians already know, in areas where relatively small improvements in formulation, exposure or dosing can have meaningful consequences for patients and healthcare systems. Physicians value predictability, particularly when treating patients over many years, and we believe improved formulation characteristics can help support treatment management.
– I have spent much of my career working with commercialization, market access and business expansion in the pharmaceutical industry. The company has built a strong scientific foundation and advanced product candidates; the next chapter is about execution, launch readiness and building a focused commercial oncology company. That is a very exciting place to be as CEO.
Sweden’s strengths as a life science hub
– I have had the opportunity to work across North America, Europe and Asia, and each region has its own strengths. What stands out in Sweden is the combination of scientific quality, trust, collaboration and long-term thinking. The Swedish life science ecosystem is highly connected, with strong universities, internationally recognized healthcare expertise, an innovative industry base and a culture that encourages dialogue between different parts of the system.
– Compared with some larger hubs, Sweden’s more moderate scale makes it easier to build valuable relationships across academia, healthcare, industry, investors and policymakers.
Hagastaden offers proximity to research, talent and industry
– Hagastaden gives Xspray proximity to one of the most concentrated life science environments in Europe. Being close to Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, other life science companies, investors, advisors and international networks creates a very practical advantage. It helps with access to talent, scientific exchange and the informal conversations that often lead to new ideas or collaborations.
Collaboration is key to meeting patients’ needs
– The most important partnerships are the ones that help translate a scientific improvement into a real patient and commercial outcome. For Xspray, this means working closely with clinical experts who understand how established oncology drugs are used in practice and what issues they are encountering. This kind of focused collaboration is key to understanding patients’ needs and ultimately your market, in order to stay relevant over time.
Building a global life science company from Sweden
– My advice would be to define the global use case early in a way that can be retained consistently over time. In life science, you need to know which market you are building for, what clinical or practical problems you are solving, how regulators will evaluate it and how the product can ultimately reach patients. Sweden is a very strong place to start because the science, talent base and collaborative culture are excellent. But successful companies need to combine that Swedish foundation with international execution from the beginning. For Xspray, that has meant developing Swedish formulation innovation with a very clear focus on global oncology markets, especially the United States, where we believe improved versions of established PKI treatments can create meaningful value.
The ambition: A global oncology company rooted in Stockholm
– Looking five years ahead, success for Xspray would mean that we have established ourselves as a commercial oncology company with multiple improved PKI products available to patients, beginning in the United States and with a broader platform that can support continued growth. We want to show that it is possible to take established, life-saving cancer medicines and make them better: more predictable, more practical and potentially more beneficial for patients’ quality of life. We also believe our model demonstrates that innovation can continue beyond the original patent life of important medicines, creating differentiated options for patients and healthcare systems.
– When we succeed, Xspray can also be an example of what the Stockholm life science ecosystem is capable of producing: Deep pharmaceutical innovation, developed in Sweden, with global commercial relevance. Stockholm already has many of the ingredients needed to be a leading international life science hub. Our role is to contribute by building a focused, internationally oriented oncology company that creates value for patients, healthcare systems, employees, partners and shareholders.
More about Xspray and their product candidates on their website >
