Novo Nordisk entered a strategic collaboration with Vivtex to develop oral formulations of peptide and protein therapeutics, a deal that could total up to $2.1 billion including milestones and royalties. Vivtex brings a gut‑focused screening and formulation platform—including gut‑on‑a‑chip approaches—to identify combinations that enable oral absorption of larger biologics. Novo, which commercialized the oral GLP‑1 Rybelsus and recently advanced an oral form of Wegovy, views the pact as a path to expand orally delivered metabolic medicines. Vivtex retains technology rights and stands to receive upfront and milestone payments; the alliance also follows Vivtex’s prior partnerships across the industry. The agreement underscores big pharma’s push to convert injectable biologics to oral formats to broaden access and improve patient convenience, while accelerating external innovation for next‑generation metabolic programs.