DelSiTech Ltd, a Finnish drug delivery technology and drug development company and InnovareR&D, a leading Mexican pharmaceutical company, have signed a world-wide, exclusive licence agreement for the use of DelSiTech’s Silica Matrix drug delivery platform in the development and commercialisation of a long acting HIV therapy.

Under the terms of the agreement, Innovare will use DelSiTech’s technology on its peptide membrane fusion inhibitor, targeting the envelope protein of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1). DelSiTech is entitled to receive an upfront payment, milestone payments and royalties on development, commercialization and sales of the Silica Matrix formulated T1144 drug product. The value of the deal was not disclosed.

“This agreement with Innovare follows an already successful and long-lasting collaboration on this peptide”, said Dr. Lasse Leino, CEO of DelSiTech. “Using DelSiTech’s platform, we have developed a long acting and controlled release form of Innovare’s peptide drug showing excellent in vitro and in vivo release control with high payloads that have not been accomplished using competing technologies. We are very excited about the next stage of development of this product.”

The difficulties faced in the past to formulate this peptide, using other technologies even for shorter release times than the one achieved, proves the robustness of DelSiTech’s Technology which can be applied to any type of molecule. We are very excited by this collaboration and to play a key role in development of new long acting drugs to improve patients’ outcomes in HIV” said Mr. Gerardo Cardenas Vogel, General Director, CEO of Innovare.