Novo Nordisk Signs $2.1 Billion Licensing Deal With Vivtex for Oral Drug Delivery

Novo Nordisk entered into a licensing agreement with U.S. biotech startup Vivtex on February 25, 2026, to access technologies for developing oral drug formulations. The agreement is designed to support Novo Nordisk’s efforts in expanding oral treatments for metabolic conditions.

Vivtex, co-founded by MIT’s Robert Langer, will provide Novo Nordisk with access to its proprietary gastrointestinal screening and formulation platform. This platform is intended to enable the development of oral biologic drugs for conditions such as obesity and diabetes.

Under the terms of the agreement, Vivtex may receive up to $2.1 billion, which includes upfront payments, research funding, milestone payments, and royalties. The structure of the deal was confirmed by multiple industry sources, including Reuters.

After the initial research and formulation phase, Novo Nordisk will take on responsibility for global development, regulatory submissions, manufacturing, and commercialization of any resulting oral biologic products. Vivtex’s technology is expected to play a role in optimizing the absorption of these drugs through its high-throughput screening platform.

What the numbers show

• The agreement was signed on February 25, 2026
• Vivtex may receive up to $2.1 billion in total payments
• Novo Nordisk launched the oral version of Wegovy in early 2026

Vivtex was established in 2018 as a spin-out from MIT by Thomas von Erlach, Robert Langer, and Giovanni Traverso. The company has developed a “gut-on-a-chip” screening platform that uses artificial intelligence and computational tools to identify oral delivery formulations for biologic drugs.

Vivtex has formed partnerships with at least ten pharmaceutical companies, including Astellas Pharma, Equillium, and Orbis Medicines. The company’s platform combines gastrointestinal tissue screening with AI to empirically optimize oral drug absorption.

Novo Nordisk recently launched an oral version of its obesity drug Wegovy (semaglutide) in the United States in early 2026. The licensing deal with Vivtex follows this launch and is intended to further expand Novo Nordisk’s portfolio of oral biologic treatments.

According to published reports, the agreement allows Vivtex to license its oral delivery technology to Novo Nordisk, while Novo Nordisk will oversee the global development and commercialization of any new products resulting from the collaboration. This structure was confirmed by several industry publications.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.