Novo Nordisk struck a collaboration with Vivtex to co‑develop oral formulations of peptide and protein therapeutics, a deal valued at up to $2.1 billion including milestones and royalties. The partnership pairs Novo’s metabolic drug expertise with Vivtex’s GI‑screening and formulation platform aimed at enabling reliable oral delivery of biologics. Vivtex uses gut‑on‑a‑chip screening and high‑throughput formulation approaches to identify combinations that improve GI absorption and consistency. Novo gains access to external technology to expand its oral portfolio after recent approvals of oral GLP‑1 agents. The transaction underscores Big Pharma’s continued interest in oral biologics as a commercial and adherence differentiator and signals increased outsourcing of early formulation risk to specialized delivery startups.