Novartis collaboration to innovate subcutaneous drug delivery

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Novartis Pharma AG and biotech Lindy Biosciences have agreed to collaborate to advance subcutaneous biologic injectables.

As part of a worldwide licensing agreement and collaboration, some of Novartis’ medicines will be developed into the injections via Lindy Biosciences’ proprietary microglassification suspension technology.

This platform enables high concentrations of biologics to be delivered in a single dose, improving the convenience of administration and patient and treatment compliance, according to Lindy Biosciences.

Lindy Biosciences will receive an upfront payment of $20 million as part of the transaction. The biotech is also eligible for up to an additional $934 million if certain milestones are achieved, alongside royalties based on net sales.

Impact of the collaboration and licensing agreement

The company emphasised that currently, more than fifty percent “of all antibody therapeutics are administered intravenously in a clinical setting, primarily due to the high doses required that cannot be formulated in volumes suitable for subcutaneous injection”.

Therefore, Lindy Biosciences stated the agreement with Novartis is set to “transform this paradigm by enabling self-administration at home via pre-filled syringes or autoinjectors”.

They added that the biologic-focused collaboration marks a significant step in addressing the “growing need” for patient-friendly self-administered treatment options.

The combination of Lindy Biosciences’ assets included in the agreement and the expertise provided by Novartis means that the partnership “promises to usher in a new era of drug delivery”.

“We’re excited to deepen our collaboration with Novartis… Together, we aim to transform drug delivery and improve treatment access for patients worldwide,” Dr Deborah Bitterfield, founder and CEO of Lindy Biosciences.

Novartis – innovation in biopharma

In an EPR article from July, GlobalData highlighted that last year, Novartis was one of the three top biopharma companies that reported more than a 20 percent year-on-year (YoY) operating profit growth (22.6 percent). Novartis’ decision to further its biologic medicines through its collaboration with Lindy Biosciences therefore gives the company potential to boost its growth in 2024 and beyond.