As drugmakers strive to fine-tune the delivery of their medications for better convenience and patient adherence, Halozyme is putting a recent acquisition in the space to work, thanks to a new tie-up with Vertex Pharmaceuticals.
Vertex is licensing Halozyme’s Hypercon, a microparticle, high-concentration formulation technology developed by Elektrofi. Halozyme paid $750 million in cash to acquire its subcutaneous drug delivery peer Elektrofi last fall.
Now, Vertex will pay $15 million upfront to leverage Hypercon for use in up to three drug targets, according to an April 7 press release. The companies provided scant details on the specific types of therapeutics they’ll apply the technology to, with Halozyme’s CEO, Helen Torley, alluding in a statement to “small volume, patient-delivered next-generation biologics.”
The Hypercon tech enables the “hyperconcentration” of drugs and biologics, paving the way for reduced injection volumes for the same doses and ultimately enabling at-home administration for patients, according to Halozyme.
Aside from the upfront payment, Halozyme is in the running to receive potential milestone payments, plus royalties on sales of any products developed using its technology platform.
"We are pleased to add Halozyme's Hypercon drug delivery technology to our toolbox as we pursue transformative therapies for patients with serious diseases," Mark Bunnage, Vertex’s chief scientific officer, said in a statement Tuesday. "We look forward to exploring the full potential of this technology across our programs of interest."
Halozyme and Elektrofi were both prominent players in the subcutaneous drug delivery game when the former announced it was acquiring the latter on Oct. 1, 2025. Halozyme swooped in on Elektrofi after Hypercon had garnered interest from the likes of argenx, Eli Lilly and Johnson & Johnson.
Hypercon fits well alongside Halozyme’s own Enhanze platform, useful for developing subcutaneous formulations of high-volume drugs that are often administered in settings like doctor’s offices. Elektrofi’s tech, on the other hand, enables drugs to be given in lower volumes and holds more potential for at-home administration, Halozyme’s Torley said of the acquisition last year.
Beyond Halozyme and Elektrofi, other drug delivery specialists continue to lasso business from developers hoping to move their experimental and approved therapeutics beyond infusions.
Last month, Biogen announced it would pay South Korea’s Alteogen $20 million upfront for help developing subQ formulations of two unnamed biologics in a deal that revolves around Alteogen’s Hybrozyme technology and its recombinant human hyaluronidase ALT-B4.
The hyaluronidase enzyme has also attracted GSK in a separate $20-million upfront deal related to the British pharma’s checkpoint inhibitor Jemperli. The technology is also at the center of a patent dispute between Halozyme and Merck & Co. around the latter’s subcutaneous Keytruda.