Novozymes Biopharma, part of Novozymes A/S, has announced a collaboration with Janssen Research & Development, LLC (Janssen). The agreement will enable Janssen to evaluate Novozymes Biopharma's engineered albumin-based VELTIS^® technology for potential drug candidates.

"We are delighted to be working with Janssen on this important collaboration," says Svend Licht, Senior Director, Novozymes Biopharma. He adds, "The VELTIS half-life extension technology can be linked to a broad range of drug candidates and the agreement is central in our continued strategy to demonstrate its potential to facilitate greater control across many therapeutic fields." 

Novozymes' VELTIS technology represents a series of engineered human albumins which, in combination with a drug candidate, offers the potential for tunable control of the therapeutic half-life. The extended half-life of the albumins opens the door towards reducing the dosing frequency of drugs from daily to every two weeks or monthly.

Svend Licht continues, "The VELTIS platform is a transformative technology that offers real potential to revolutionize the delivery of treatments. Working with partners across a wide-range of medical conditions, we are continuing to highlight the benefits of the solution in improving the lives of patients."

Together with this new collaboration, Novozymes Biopharma announces a new brand name for its half-life extension platform. Now known as VELTIS, the technology enhances the pharmacokinetics of peptide and protein drugs, potentially reducing dosing frequency of therapeutics to  once-per-month, while contributing additional benefits through decreased dosage levels and reduced toxicity.