Vivani Medical and Okava Enhance Partnership to Develop OKV-119 for Dogs' Metabolic Health and Longevity

Vivani Medical, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company listed on NASDAQ under the symbol VANI, focuses on the development of miniature, ultra long-acting drug implants. On April 15, 2025, Vivani announced an expansion of its collaborative efforts with Okava Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a company specializing in aging-related diseases in pets. This partnership aims to include dogs in the development of OKV-119, a long-acting GLP-1 therapy intended for managing weight, diabetes, and other cardiometabolic conditions. Initially, this project, which began in 2019, targeted cardiometabolic conditions in cats.

OKV-119 utilizes Vivani’s NanoPortal™ technology, which ensures a consistent delivery of therapeutic molecules, such as GLP-1 receptor agonists, over extended durations from a single implant. Okava emphasizes that dosing every six months or more aligns with a “One-and-Done” strategy, reflecting the product profile of Vivani’s NPM-115, an ultra long-acting GLP-1 implant developed to enhance adherence and tolerability in the chronic weight management of humans.

Michael Klotsman, CEO of Okava, highlights the challenge of caloric restriction or fasting, a well-documented method for extending lifespan and improving metabolic health in dogs. OKV-119 mimics the physiological benefits of fasting—such as enhanced insulin sensitivity, reduced fat mass, and improved energy metabolism—without necessitating significant changes in feeding practices or disturbing the human-animal bond centered around food.

In the United States, over half of the canine population is overweight or obese, increasing their risk of chronic diseases, metabolic decline, and reduced lifespan. As dogs age, they experience metabolic decline, resulting in weight gain, insulin resistance, and muscle mass loss, similar to humans. Research indicates that dogs who maintain a lean physique can live over two years longer than heavier counterparts. OKV-119, by administering a single, long-acting dose, holds the promise of enhancing quality of life, promoting healthy aging, and potentially serving as a significant life-extending therapy for dogs.

Vivani’s CEO, Adam Mendelsohn, emphasizes that this collaboration aligns with the company’s mission to develop groundbreaking medicines that transform chronic disease treatment through proprietary drug delivery technologies. The expanded partnership with Okava reflects confidence in NanoPortal technology’s potential to serve a broad array of beneficiaries in managing metabolic diseases. The partnership structure minimizes costs and risks for Vivani while offering potential financial benefits for shareholders through future milestone payments and royalties. By teaming up with Okava, Vivani extends the reach of its technology to meet unmet needs in veterinary medicine while positioning itself to capture future value in a growing industry segment.

Vivani’s NanoPortal platform develops therapeutic implants designed for consistent drug delivery over extended periods, aiming to ensure adherence and potentially improve patient tolerance. The company’s leading projects, NPM-139 (semaglutide implant) and NPM-115 (exenatide implant), are subdermal GLP-1 implants under development for chronic weight management in obese or overweight individuals, intended for once or twice-yearly administration. Vivani’s emerging pipeline also includes NPM-119, a six-month subdermal GLP-1 (exenatide implant) for type 2 diabetes treatment. A semaglutide implant for type 2 diabetes treatment is also under consideration. These NanoPortal implants aim to allow patients to fully benefit from their medication by circumventing the issues of daily or weekly oral and injectable administration.

Medication non-adherence, where patients do not take medication as prescribed, affects roughly 50% of patients, including those on daily pills. This non-adherence results in over $500 billion in avoidable annual healthcare costs and 125,000 potentially preventable deaths each year in the U.S. alone. For obese or overweight patients and those undergoing treatment for type 2 diabetes or other chronic diseases, this is a major hurdle in achieving positive real-world outcomes. Despite the presence of over 50 new molecular entities in clinical development within the GLP-1 landscape, Vivani remains optimistic about its unique portfolio of miniature, ultra long-acting GLP-1 implants as a promising therapeutic option for patients, prescribers, and payers.

Okava is a clinical-stage research and development company dedicated to creating new treatment options for dogs and cats with chronic aging diseases. By adapting human technologies to treat common ailments in pets, Okava aims to improve the lifespan of dogs and cats by an average of one to three years. The private company is based in San Francisco, California.