Novo Nordisk has signed a licensing agreement with Swedish drug delivery firm Nanexa worth up to €1.165 billion ($1.33 billion). The deal gives Novo Nordisk exclusive global rights to use Nanexa’s PharmaShell technology to develop long-acting injectable treatments for obesity and type 2 diabetes.
PharmaShell is designed to control drug release and could enable monthly or quarterly injections, compared with current weekly treatments. The agreement includes upfront payments and milestones tied to development, regulatory and sales targets.
The deal validates Nanexa’s technology and supports Novo Nordisk’s strategy to extend the dosing intervals of its blockbuster GLP-1 drugs. It comes days after Novo executives discussed the company’s pipeline of next-generation long-acting injectables, as Novo seeks to maintain its position in the competitive metabolic disease market.