Lonza to develop spray-dried formulation for Iconovo’s intranasal biologic targeting obesity

Lonza announced it will develop spray-dried formulations for Iconovo’s intranasally-delivered biologic at the contract development and manufacturing organization’s Center of Excellence for bioavailability enhancement and inhaled delivery in Bend, Oregon.

The drug candidate, targeting overweight and obesity, will be formulated for use in the proprietary ICOone Nasal device from Iconovo. According to the companies, their collaboration on the project is the first in Iconovo’s strategic initiative to reformulate known pharmaceuticals and replace injections and oral treatments with inhalation.

In September 2024, Iconovo announced it initiated the development of the GLP-1 analogue semaglutide — the active substance in Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster injectable drugs Ozempic and Wegovy — in the inhaler ICOone Nasal for intranasal treatment of overweight and obesity. The goal is to develop more user-friendly forms of GLP-1 administration than injections.

The Lonza-Iconovo collaboration seeks to identify the optimal product properties related to particle size, stability, and device compatibility, while preserving biological activity. The Lonza team in Bend specializes in tackling solubility challenges and modulating pharmacokinetics to meet target product profiles. The core capabilities offered at the facility include bioavailability enhancement, respiratory delivery, and multi-particulates.

“Our team at Lonza’s respiratory center of excellence in Bend is pleased to work with Iconovo on its innovative applications, combining Lonza’s particle engineering expertise with Iconovo’s state-of-the-art devices,” Kim Shepard, director of advanced drug delivery at Lonza, said in a statement.