Curie Brief
Turn on cookies to sign in
Signing in saves your progress to your Curie account. We can only do that with cookies on — turn them on to continue.
NewsNovo Nordisk signs a blockbuster $1.33 billion licensing deal with Swedish drug-delivery firm Nanexa to develop long-acting injectable treatments for obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other cardiometabolic diseases. The partnership leverages Nanexa's PharmaShell technology, which coats drug particles to extend their release — potentially enabling monthly or quarterly dosing. Nanexa shares surged over 122% on the news.
Novo Nordisk goes long — literally — on injectable drug delivery
Novo Nordisk has inked a global licensing deal worth up to €1.17 billion (~$1.33 billion) with Swedish drug-delivery company Nanexa, sending Nanexa's shares soaring more than 122% to their highest levels in over five years. The agreement centers on Nanexa's proprietary PharmaShell technology, which applies an ultra-thin coating to drug particles to precisely control how slowly they release in the body.
The partnership targets long-acting formulations for obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other cardiometabolic conditions — with the goal of reducing injection frequency to monthly or quarterly intervals. Novo Nordisk will hold exclusive rights to use the technology across up to five development programmes and will lead all global development and commercialization efforts.
By the Numbers
Why it matters: As GLP-1 therapies dominate the cardiometabolic space, reducing injection burden is a key frontier for improving patient adherence. This deal signals that major players like Novo Nordisk are investing heavily in next-generation drug delivery to make chronic treatments more convenient — a shift that could reshape how millions of patients manage obesity and diabetes.
