Novo Nordisk and Vivtex Corporation have announced a strategic partnership to develop next-generation oral biologic medicines targeting obesity, diabetes and related metabolic disorders. The collaboration aims to overcome one of the most persistent challenges in pharmaceutical science: enabling biologic therapies—traditionally delivered by injection—to be taken orally.
Under the terms of the agreement, Vivtex will license select oral drug-delivery technologies to Novo Nordisk. In return, Vivtex is eligible to receive upfront payments, research funding and milestone payments totaling up to $2.1 billion, along with tiered royalties on potential future product sales. The scale of the deal underscores the commercial and clinical significance of advancing oral biologics in high-prevalence chronic diseases.
Novo Nordisk has long been recognized as a leader in protein and peptide engineering, particularly in metabolic diseases. The company pioneered the first oral biologic therapy more than five years ago and recently introduced the world’s first oral biologic specifically for obesity. By partnering with Vivtex, Novo Nordisk seeks to extend its leadership in oral formulations and expand treatment options for millions of people living with metabolic conditions.
The central challenge the companies aim to address is poor gastrointestinal absorption, which has historically limited biologic drugs—such as peptides and proteins—to injectable forms. Oral delivery of biologics is complicated by degradation in the digestive tract and difficulty crossing the intestinal barrier into systemic circulation. Overcoming these hurdles could significantly improve patient convenience, adherence and overall treatment accessibility.
Vivtex brings to the collaboration a proprietary gastrointestinal screening and formulation platform designed to optimize oral bioavailability. Its approach integrates high-throughput experimentation with computational modeling and artificial intelligence-enabled analytics. This combination allows researchers to systematically evaluate how biologic drug candidates behave in the gastrointestinal environment and to identify formulations that enhance absorption and stability.
According to Vivtex’s leadership, the company was founded specifically to tackle the longstanding problem of oral biologic delivery. By applying its screening assays, drug-delivery technologies and AI-driven simulations, Vivtex aims to enable consistent in-human performance for biologic medicines that would otherwise require injection.
Following the research and selection of promising formulations, Novo Nordisk will assume responsibility for global development, regulatory processes, manufacturing and commercialization of any resulting therapies. The partnership reflects a broader industry push to make complex biologic treatments more patient-friendly while maintaining high efficacy standards.
If successful, the collaboration could reshape the treatment landscape for obesity, diabetes and associated comorbidities by expanding access to effective oral biologic therapies and reducing reliance on injectable regimens.