Uppsala, Sweden. March 20. Nanexa AB on March 19 announced highly promising new results from its long‑acting semaglutide program, developed using the company’s proprietary PharmaShell® drug delivery platform. Building on the breakthrough monthly‑dosing PK data reported in January 2026, Nanexa has now completed a pharmacokinetic study in rats using several PharmaShell® semaglutide formulations. These new data, in combination with human modelling, indicate that semaglutide can potentially be administered once every three months (quarterly) while maintaining a controlled and therapeutically relevant plasma concentration.
PharmaShell® encases active pharmaceutical ingredients at the atomic level in a highly protective, extremely thin film coating (approximately 30 nm thick) of slow-dissolving non-toxic inorganic oxides. The platform provides exceptional control of release rate, enabling long, smooth PK profiles with very low ratio between the maximum and minimum plasma concentration.
New Rat Data Supports Ultra‑Long Release with Exceptionally Smooth Plasma Concentration Profile
Using this dataset, Nanexa applied established pharmacokinetic models to simulate repeated dosing in humans. These simulations demonstrate that PharmaShell®‑coated semaglutide can achieve and maintain therapeutic plasma levels using once‑quarterly subcutaneous injections, with ratio between the maximum and minimum plasma concentration significantly lower than typically observed for weekly administration of the marketed product Wegovy® (semaglutide).
Lower initial plasma concentration peaks are considered key to minimizing gastrointestinal side effects such as nausea — a major reason for treatment discontinuation in GLP‑1 therapies. By enabling a smoother and more tolerable exposure profile, PharmaShell® could markedly improve adherence and overall patient experience.
A Major Step Forward for Long‑Acting GLP‑1 Therapies
“These new results represent another important milestone for Nanexa,” said David Westberg, CEO of Nanexa. “Demonstrating the potential for quarterly dosing of semaglutide is exceptional, and — as far as we know — no one else has shown this before. This further underscore the unique capability of PharmaShell® to control release rates for complex peptides and reinforces our position as a leader in long‑acting GLP‑1 development. We see significant commercial and therapeutic potential in these findings.”
The new data build on the clinical Phase 1 results from Nanexa’s liraglutide program, reported in 2025, which provided essential human validation of the PharmaShell® technology. These learnings have accelerated development, improved modelling accuracy, and strengthened the path toward clinical readiness.
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