From Injection to Pill
Novo Nordisk, the Danish pharmaceutical giant behind the blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy and diabetes treatment Ozempic, has signed a deal with Vivtex to develop oral formulations of obesity and diabetes drugs. The partnership with the Boston-based startup, co-founded by legendary MIT professor Robert Langer, represents a major step in the race to make GLP-1 treatments more accessible and convenient for the millions of patients who currently rely on weekly injections.
The deal underscores one of the biggest challenges facing the booming weight-loss pharmaceutical market: while demand for GLP-1 drugs has been extraordinary, the requirement for regular injections remains a significant barrier for many patients. An effective oral alternative could dramatically expand the addressable market by reaching people who are unwilling or unable to self-inject, potentially adding billions of dollars in revenue for whichever company cracks the formulation first.
Specific financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. However, the partnership signals Novo Nordisk's willingness to look beyond its own internal research pipeline to solve the oral delivery challenge, tapping into Vivtex's specialized expertise in converting injectable medications into pill form.
The Science of Oral Drug Delivery
Turning an injectable drug into an effective pill is far more complex than simply putting the active ingredient into a capsule. GLP-1 receptor agonists like semaglutide, the active ingredient in both Ozempic and Wegovy, are peptide-based drugs. Peptides are notoriously difficult to deliver orally because the digestive system is specifically designed to break down proteins and peptides before they can enter the bloodstream.
Vivtex has been developing technology to overcome this biological barrier since its founding approximately eight years ago. The startup was created by three MIT scientists: Robert Langer, Giovanni Traverso, and Thomas von Erlach, who serves as CEO. Their approach involves proprietary formulation technologies that protect peptide drugs from degradation in the stomach and intestines while enhancing their absorption into the bloodstream.
Robert Langer is one of the most prolific inventors in the history of biomedical engineering. The MIT professor has founded or co-founded dozens of companies, most notably Moderna, the mRNA vaccine maker that became a household name during the COVID-19 pandemic. His involvement with Vivtex lends significant scientific credibility to the company's oral delivery platform.
The GLP-1 Gold Rush
The market for GLP-1 drugs has exploded over the past several years. Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Ozempic, along with Eli Lilly's Mounjaro and Zepbound, have generated tens of billions of dollars in annual revenue and transformed both companies into some of the most valuable pharmaceutical firms in the world. The drugs have proven effective not only for weight loss and diabetes management but are being studied for potential benefits in heart disease, kidney disease, sleep apnea, and addiction.
Despite this success, the injectable delivery method limits adoption. Some patients have needle phobia, while others find the weekly injection regimen inconvenient or stigmatizing. In many parts of the world, cold-chain requirements for injectable biologics create distribution challenges. An oral formulation would address all of these barriers while potentially reducing manufacturing and distribution costs.
Novo Nordisk already markets Rybelsus, an oral form of semaglutide approved for type 2 diabetes. However, Rybelsus has significant limitations: it must be taken on an empty stomach with minimal water, patients must wait at least 30 minutes before eating or drinking anything else, and its bioavailability is significantly lower than the injectable version. Vivtex's technology could help overcome these limitations.
A Competitive Race
Novo Nordisk is not the only company pursuing improved oral delivery of GLP-1 drugs. Eli Lilly, its primary competitor in the weight-loss pharmaceutical space, is developing its own oral GLP-1 formulations. Several smaller biotech companies are also working on the problem using various approaches, from permeation enhancers to nanoparticle encapsulation.
The stakes are enormous. Analysts estimate that the global market for GLP-1 drugs could exceed $150 billion annually by the end of the decade. Companies that can offer an effective, convenient oral formulation stand to capture a disproportionate share of that market, particularly among new patients who might start treatment with a pill but would never have considered a weekly injection.
The Vivtex partnership gives Novo Nordisk another shot on goal in this race. Even if the company's internal oral development programs succeed, having multiple approaches in development increases the likelihood that at least one will yield a commercially viable product. In a market this large, the cost of redundant research pales in comparison to the cost of losing the oral delivery race to a competitor.
What This Means for Patients
For the tens of millions of people who could benefit from GLP-1 treatment but have not yet started, the prospect of an oral alternative is welcome news. The convenience of a daily or weekly pill compared to a weekly injection could be the difference between starting treatment and not, particularly for patients managing chronic conditions that require indefinite medication.
The timeline for any new oral formulation reaching the market remains uncertain. Drug development, even for new formulations of existing approved drugs, typically requires years of clinical trials and regulatory review. But the sheer volume of investment and research activity in this space suggests that effective oral GLP-1 alternatives are a question of when, not if.
This article is based on reporting by STAT News. Read the original article.
