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Eyes On Pharma Blog 

Building the Next Wave: Pharma Bets on New Platforms for Development, Delivery, and New Targets

  • Writer: Jana Chisholm
    Jana Chisholm
  • 7 days ago
  • 3 min read

From oral biologics to next-generation RNA therapies, companies are investing heavily in platforms that redefine how medicines are delivered and where they act.


Executive Highlights

  • Novo Nordisk is investing up to $2.1B to expand oral biologics delivery capabilities.

  • Sanofi licensed a dual JAK/ROCK inhibitor with strong clinical data across hematology and immunology.

  • GSK continues to scale its RNA and siRNA platform through global partnerships.

  • New entrants like Korsana are targeting the blood-brain barrier, one of the most persistent challenges in CNS drug development.


Introduction

Biopharma innovation is entering a new phase. While therapeutic targets remain important, the industry is increasingly focused on how drugs are delivered, where they act, and how efficiently they reach patients.

Recent deals across oral biologics, RNA therapeutics, and CNS-targeted antibodies highlight a strategic shift: companies are investing in platform capabilities that can unlock multiple future products, rather than single-asset opportunities.


Novo Nordisk Pushes Beyond Injectables

Novo Nordisk is investing up to $2.1 billion in Vivtex, a company focused on oral delivery of biologics.

The partnership provides access to:

  • Technologies enabling oral delivery of peptides and proteins

  • A GI tract screening platform to optimize absorption

This move builds on Novo’s leadership in obesity and diabetes, where injectable GLP-1 therapies have driven significant growth.

Early market signals:

  • ~20,000 prescriptions for oral Wegovy in week two of launch

  • Strong demand despite increasing competition from Eli Lilly

Strategic implications:

  • Improved patient adherence through oral options

  • Extended lifecycle for existing biologics

  • Differentiation in an increasingly competitive obesity market

This signals a broader industry trend: delivery innovation is becoming a competitive advantage, not just a convenience feature.


Sanofi Expands with Dual-Mechanism Targeting

Sanofi licensed rovadicitinib in a deal worth up to $1.53 billion, reinforcing its push into specialty care.

The drug combines:

  • JAK inhibition (anti-inflammatory)

  • ROCK inhibition (anti-fibrotic and immune modulation)


Clinical data highlights:

  • Spleen volume reduction ≥35%: 58% vs. 23% (control)

  • Symptom reduction ≥50%: 61% vs. 46%

  • cGVHD response rate: 86.4%

  • 12-month failure-free survival: 85.2%

Initially approved in China for myelofibrosis, the drug’s global focus is chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD).


Strategic context:

  • Follows Sanofi’s $9.5B Blueprint Medicines acquisition

  • Reinforces focus on high-value specialty and rare disease markets


GSK Builds Scale in RNA Therapeutics

GSK continues to expand its RNA footprint through a partnership with Frontier Biotechnologies valued at up to $963 million.

The deal includes:

  • One phase 1 siRNA candidate

  • One preclinical asset

Both programs target IgA nephropathy, a chronic kidney disease with significant unmet need.


Broader RNA strategy:

  • Bepirovirsen (phase 3 hepatitis B)

  • Partnerships with:

    • Arrowhead

    • Wave Life Sciences

    • Elsie Biotech

RNA is emerging as a core modality, not a niche technology, across multiple therapeutic areas.


Breaking the Blood-Brain Barrier in Alzheimer’s

Korsana Biosciences raised $175 million to develop next-generation Alzheimer’s therapies.


Its lead candidate, KRSA-028, is designed to:

  • Bind transferrin receptors to cross the blood-brain barrier

  • Target amyloid-beta plaques


Development timeline:

  • Clinical entry: 2027

  • Early safety data: mid-year

  • Proof-of-concept data: year-end


Competitive landscape:

  • Roche (phase 3 programs)

  • Denali Therapeutics (early-stage)

  • AbbVie (via $1.4B acquisition of Aliada)

A key goal is reducing ARIA (brain swelling/bleeding), a major limitation of first-generation therapies.


The Convergence of Innovation

Across these developments, a clear pattern emerges:

  • Delivery technologies are improving drug accessibility and adherence

  • RNA platforms are enabling targeted gene-level intervention

  • CNS strategies are overcoming historical biological barriers

These are not isolated advances — they are converging into a new model of drug development.


Outlook: Platforms Over Products

The industry is shifting from single-asset innovation to platform-based strategy.

Companies that control:

  • Delivery technologies

  • RNA platforms

  • CNS access

will be positioned to generate multiple therapies from a single capability base.



Further Reading

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