Novo Nordisk collaborates with Vivtex to develop oral biologic medicines for obesity

DENMARK – Novo Nordisk has joined forces with Vivtex Corporation to create next-generation oral biologic medicines targeting obesity, diabetes, and related health conditions.

The agreement grants Novo Nordisk licensing rights to select oral drug-delivery technologies from Vivtex.

In return, Vivtex stands to receive upfront payments, research funding, and milestone payments totalling up to USD2.1 billion, along with tiered royalties from future product sales.

Building on decades of innovation

Brian Vandahl, senior vice president of Therapeutics Discovery at Novo Nordisk, emphasized the company’s longstanding leadership in protein and peptide engineering, particularly in oral peptide formulation.

The pharmaceutical giant launched the world’s first oral biologic more than five years ago and recently introduced the first oral biologic specifically designed for obesity treatment.

Vandahl highlighted that Novo Nordisk continues advancing scientific boundaries through both internal research and external collaborations.

These efforts support the company’s mission to treat millions more people living with obesity, diabetes, and associated health complications.

Overcoming drug delivery challenges

The collaboration addresses a significant challenge in pharmaceutical development: enabling oral delivery of biologic drug candidates that typically require injection.

These biologics suffer from poor absorption when passing through the gastrointestinal tract, making oral administration difficult.

The partnership merges Novo Nordisk’s extensive knowledge in peptide and protein therapeutics with Vivtex’s proprietary gastrointestinal screening and formulation platform.

Together, the companies aim to identify breakthrough oral therapeutics that could transform treatment options for patients.

Revolutionary technology platform

Thomas von Erlach, Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of Vivtex, described oral biologic delivery as one of drug development’s most formidable obstacles.

He explained that Vivtex was established specifically to systematically address this challenge by integrating high-throughput experimentation with computational and AI-enabled analytics.

Erlach expressed enthusiasm about working with Novo Nordisk, noting that the partnership enables Vivtex to apply its platform across critical metabolic disease areas.

The ultimate goal is developing oral therapies that would otherwise require patients to endure injections.

Advanced screening and development

Vivtex’s platform incorporates multiple proprietary gastrointestinal screening assays, drug-delivery technologies, and computational simulation capabilities enhanced by artificial intelligence.

The system is engineered to achieve high oral bioavailability and deliver consistent performance in human patients.

Division of responsibilities

Once research and formulation selection are complete, Novo Nordisk will take over all subsequent phases of product development.

The company will handle global development, regulatory activities, manufacturing, and commercialization of any medicines that emerge from this collaboration.

This partnership represents a significant step forward in making advanced biologic treatments more accessible and convenient for patients managing chronic metabolic conditions.