Novo Nordisk partners with Vivtex in up to $2.1 billion deal for oral obesity drugs

Feb 25 (Reuters) – Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk has partnered with U.S.-based Vivtex Corp in a deal worth up to $2.1 billion to develop next-generation oral drugs for obesity and diabetes, the companies said on Wednesday.

Under the partnership, the privately held company will license some of its oral drug-delivery technology, while Novo Nordisk will take charge of global development and commercialization.

Here are some details:

* Novo Nordisk will make an undisclosed upfront payment toVivtex under the deal, besides milestone payments and royaltieson future product sales. * The partnership aims to make oral forms of biologic drugsthat would otherwise be given as injections by improving howthey are absorbed in the gut. * Vivtex’s platform uses gut-screening tests, deliverytechnologies and AI tools to help make biologic drugs work aspills, the companies said. * Novo currently offers GLP-1 drugs for obesity and type 2diabetes, including Wegovy, Ozempic and the oral diabetes drugRybelsus. * In January, the Danish drugmaker launched Wegovy pill, theworld’s first oral drug for obesity, in the U.S.

(Reporting by Kamal Choudhury in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo)