Delaware-based Elvinix Inc. has secured an exclusive worldwide license from Zealand Pharma A/S (Nasdaq Copenhagen: ZEAL) to develop and commercialize Zealand's GLP-1/gastrin dual-agonist peptide portfolio, with the goal of advancing a disease-modifying therapy for type 1 diabetes (T1D). Financial terms were not disclosed.
The licensed portfolio is at the preclinical stage. Under the agreement, Elvinix gains rights to the relevant GLP-1/gastrin patent families and an accompanying package of preclinical data. Elvinix will be responsible for development and commercialization. The company describes the approach as designed to regenerate and protect endogenous insulin-producing beta cells in T1D patients, with the gastrin receptor component targeting pancreatic progenitor cells and the GLP-1 component providing additional support for beta-cell function and survival.
Elvinix was co-founded by diabetes researchers Dr. Alex Rabinovitch, Dr. Jay Skyler, and Dr. Alexander Fleming, and this deal represents the company's public launch. No external funding has been publicly disclosed.
Zealand has previously out-licensed deprioritized peptide assets while retaining downstream economics. In March 2025, the firm put pen to paper with Roche, handing over co-development and co-commercialization rights to petrelintide, a long-acting amylin analog for obesity, in return for a DKK 9,245 million (USD 1.3 billion) upfront fee.