Neuland Laboratories, a global contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO), has entered into a development partnership with LIR Life Sciences Corp, a Canada-based biotechnology company, to advance its cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) platform.
Under the agreement, Neuland will develop, test, and manufacture CPPs to support pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) studies, along with Phase I formulations for LIR Life’s transdermal GLP-1/GIP program.
LIR Life is working on a patch-based, transdermal delivery system for GLP-1 therapies targeting obesity. Unlike traditional injectable formulations, the approach is designed to enable non-invasive administration, with the potential to improve patient adherence and broaden access.
Currently, there are no approved transdermal GLP-1 therapies, placing the program in a largely untapped segment of the obesity treatment space.
For Neuland, the deal underscores its growing capabilities in peptide development and manufacturing, particularly in emerging modalities such as CPP-enabled delivery systems. The company supports peptide programs from early development through commercial scale, with integrated expertise in process development, scale-up, and cGMP manufacturing.
“We are excited to engage Neuland’s expertise in peptide development and manufacturing at both small and large scale,” said Edward Mills, CEO of LIR Life Sciences. “This partnership enables us to advance our CPP platform with the precision and consistency required for early-stage development.”
The collaboration also builds on Neuland’s recent investments in peptide infrastructure, including a $20 million process development laboratory and a multi-phase commercial peptide manufacturing facility at its Bonthapally campus in Hyderabad.
Module one of the facility, representing an investment of about $30 million and 6,370 litres of capacity, is expected to come online by mid-2026.
“This collaboration reflects the rapidly rising demand we see for CDMOs that can advance complex peptide targets, particularly as new delivery technologies emerge,” said Saharsh Davuluri, CEO of Neuland Laboratories.
“LIR Life’s transdermal approach represents a novel application of GLP-1 therapies, and we look forward to supporting the development of their CPP platform through our integrated peptide capabilities.”
