Biopharmaceutical companies this week announced significant strategic transactions aimed at expanding capabilities in oral biologics and strengthening pipelines in high-need cardiopulmonary diseases, underscoring continued investment in next-generation protein therapeutics and differentiated drug-delivery platforms.

What are the details of Novo Nordisk and Vivtex’s partnership?

Novo Nordisk and Vivtex Corporation have entered into a partnership agreement to develop next-generation oral biologic medicines for obesity, diabetes and associated comorbidities.

Under terms of the agreement, Vivtex is set to license select oral drug-delivery technologies to Novo Nordisk, while also being eligible to receive upfront consideration, research funding and milestone payments totaling up to $2.1 billion, along with tiered royalties on future product sales.¹

“Novo Nordisk has been at the forefront of innovation in protein and peptide engineering for several decades, and not least within oral formulation of peptides. We launched the first-ever oral biologic more than five years ago and have recently launched the world’s first oral biologic for obesity,” said Brian Vandahl, senior vice president, Therapeutics Discovery, at Novo Nordisk. “We continue to push the boundaries of science through both internal and external innovation to fulfil our mission of treating millions more people living with obesity and diabetes and their associated comorbidities.”

The collaboration is designed to allow for oral delivery of biologic drug candidates that are traditionally limited to injectable administration due to poor gastrointestinal absorption.¹ The partnership combines Novo Nordisk’s expertise in peptide and protein therapeutics with Vivtex’s proprietary gastrointestinal screening and formulation platform.

“Making biologics oral has been one of the most difficult challenges in drug delivery,” said Thomas von Erlach, Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of Vivtex. “Vivtex was founded to systematically solve this problem by integrating high-throughput experimentation with computational and AI-enabled analytics. Partnering with Novo Nordisk allows us to apply our platform across important metabolic disease areas, with the goal of enabling oral therapies that would otherwise require injection.”

Following research and formulation selection, Novo Nordisk is set to assume responsibility for global development, regulatory activities, manufacturing, and commercialization of any resulting products.¹

Why did GSK acquire 35Pharma for $950 million?

In a separate transaction, GSK has entered an agreement to acquire 35Pharma Inc. which includes HS235, an investigational medicine that has completed Phase I healthy volunteer clinical trials, with studies set to begin in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and pulmonary hypertension due to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (PH-HFpEF).²

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a progressive, life-shortening disease characterized by high blood pressure in the lungs. It affects approximately 82 million people worldwide across multiple forms, with a five-year survival rate of around 50%. By 2032, the global PH therapy market is forecast to reach $18 billion, with activin signalling inhibitors expected to account for half of that total.

HS235 targets the activin receptor signaling pathway and is designed with enhanced selectivity to reduce binding to BMP9 and BMP10, ligands associated with adverse events such as bleeding and telangiectasia.²

By potentially lowering bleeding risk, HS235 may address a key limitation in current PH treatment, particularly for patients requiring anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy.

Tony Wood, chief scientific officer, GSK, said: “Pulmonary hypertension affects millions of people worldwide, yet patients are underserved. We’re delighted to add HS235 to our pipeline, a potential best-in-class medicine with a differentiated profile to reduce risk of bleeding and provide potential metabolic benefits clinically relevant to PH patients. HS235’s potential protective effects on vascular function, alongside potential benefits on fat-derived markers of metabolism and inflammation, also offer new development opportunities within our RI&I portfolio to achieve broader coverage across the metabolic, inflammatory, vascular and fibrotic drivers of multiple chronic diseases that affect the lung, liver and kidney.”

Under the terms of the acquisition agreement, GSK is set to acquire 100% of 35Pharma’s equity for $950 million in cash at closing. The transaction is subject to customary conditions, including regulatory clearances under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act in the United States and the Competition Act in Canada, as well as a filing under the Investment Canada Act.²

Sources

1. Novo Nordisk and Vivtex partner to develop next-generation oral medicines for obesity and diabetes Novo Nordisk February 25, 2026 https://www.novonordisk.com/content/nncorp/global/en/news-and-media/news-and-ir-materials/news-details.html?id=916506
2. GSK enters agreement to acquire 35Pharma Inc. GSK February 25, 2026 https://www.gsk.com/en-gb/media/press-releases/gsk-enters-agreement-to-acquire-35pharma-inc/