Neuland Laboratories Limited, a global contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO), has entered into a development partnership with LIR Life Sciences Corp, a Canada‑based biotechnology company focused on scalable and accessible obesity treatments, to advance its cell‑penetrating peptide (CPP) platform.

As part of this engagement, Neuland will develop, test, and manufacture CPPs to support pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) studies, as well as Phase I formulations for LIR Life’s transdermal GLP‑1/GIP program. 

LIR Life is developing a patch-based, transdermal delivery system for GLP-1 therapies targeting obesity. Currently, no transdermal GLP-1 therapies are approved, positioning this approach as a potentially significant innovation in the treatment landscape.

For Neuland, the partnership highlights its expanding capabilities in peptide development and manufacturing, particularly in complex and emerging modalities such as CPP-enabled delivery systems. 

“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.”

 he collaboration builds on Neuland’s recent investments in peptide infrastructure, including a new $20 million process development laboratory and a multi-phase commercial peptide manufacturing facility at its Bonthapally campus in Hyderabad.

Module one of the peptide facility, representing an investment of approximately $30 million and 6,370 litres of capacity, is expected to become operational 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.”