A Coup for Nobex

Large pharma companies haven't set a high priority on developing new drug delivery formulations for their existing portfolios; nor have they been interested in macromolecule development. Thus, the strategic alliance forged in May between giant GSK and small drug-delivery firm Nobex is noteworthy. Not only is it one of the largest deals of its kind, but it also focuses on development of oral insulin for diabetic patients, which presents a challenge that few have attempted to overcome.

Large pharmaceutical companies, for a variety of reasons, haven't set a high priority on developing new drug-delivery formulations for their existing portfolios; they think reformulation is an incremental improvement that doesn't provide significant value. Nor have they been intensively interested in macromolecule drug development, which they view as difficult, far afield of their mainstay small-molecule development expertise, and because such drugs are available only in injectable formats, not patient friendly and therefore of limited commercial and clinical viability. (See "Large Molecules: Too Late for Big Pharma?" IN VIVO, December 2001 and "Special Delivery," IN VIVO, February 1997 Also see "Large Molecules: Too Late For Big Pharma?" - In Vivo, 1 December, 2001. Also see "Special Delivery" - In Vivo, 1 February, 1997..)

In light of this history, the strategic alliance forged in late May between GlaxoSmithKline PLC and the small drug-delivery...

More from Archive

More from In Vivo

Podcast: ADDF’s Karen Harris On Investing In Alzheimer’s Like A VC

 
• By 

A discussion with Karen Harris, CFO of the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation, about the foundation's investment strategy, biotech and investor sentiment at the recent BIO conference and what innovations give her hope for Alzheimer's patients.

Turning Defense Into Attack: Snapshots Of A Changing Medtech Market And How To Respond

 
• By 

Against a backdrop of shifting trade policies, the end of multilateral market approaches and renewed focus on supply chain resilience, medtechs are doubling down on innovation in products and processes – using AI – and keeping unmet needs and outcomes in the center of the target.

AI Agents Set To Reshape Biopharma’s Workforce And Operations

 
• By 

While biopharma companies experiment with genAI, agentic AI is rapidly shifting the work paradigm towards one of autonomous digital workers that can handle entire process flows.