Novo Nordisk reinforces its leadership in weight-loss drugs with a $2.1 billion deal

Novo Nordisk is taking a major step to solidify its leadership in weight-loss drugs by entering into a deal worth up to $2.1 billion with drug technology specialist Vivtex, Pharmaphorum reports.

The collaboration aims to develop a new generation of obesity and diabetes therapies through an oral delivery platform for large biological molecules, including proteins and peptides—medications that are currently typically administered by injection due to poor absorption in the gastrointestinal tract.

Just a few weeks ago, Novo Nordisk launched a tablet form of Wegovy (semaglutide), a GLP-1 agonist, in the US. This medication was until recently primarily administered as a weekly subcutaneous injection. The company reported strong initial interest in the tablet, with new prescriptions reaching approximately 50,000 per week by the end of January. According to management, oral therapies will be key to expanding access to incretin-based weight-loss and diabetes treatments.

Novo states that the partnership with Vivtex aims to provide oral administration for biological candidates currently limited to injectable forms. Specific molecules have not been disclosed. The agreement includes an upfront payment, R funding, and milestone payments, covering selected oral delivery technologies.

Boston-based Vivtex was founded in 2018 by MIT researchers. The company is developing a robotic high-throughput screening platform, described as a “gastrointestinal tract on a chip,” combined with computer modeling and artificial intelligence. The technology aims to predict the behavior of drug molecules in the gastrointestinal tract and improve their absorption.

Under the terms of the deal, Novo Nordisk will handle global development and regulatory procedures. The manufacturing and commercialization of all therapies resulting from the partnership will also be managed by Novo Nordisk.

The company emphasizes that the alliance builds on established expertise in the oral administration of large molecules, including the launch of Rybelsus—the first oral biological medication for type 2 diabetes—as well as the tablet version of Wegovy.

The deal comes shortly after Novo Nordisk reported disappointing data for the injectable combination CagriSema (cagrilintide and semaglutide). With this combination, the company hoped to strengthen competition against Eli Lilly’s fast-growing therapy, Zepbound. In the final quarter of 2025, Zepbound sales surpassed those of the injectable form of Wegovy.