Medication nonadherence occurs when patients cannot or do not take their medications as prescribed. This can happen for a variety of reasons, including financial barriers, forgetfulness, or clinical concerns, such as side effects or complex dosing regimens.
Long-acting injectables (LAIs) can help address some of these challenges and improve treatment adherence. By releasing a drug over an extended period, LAIs reduce the frequency of dosing while maintaining therapeutic drug levels. This approach can benefit patients across a range of therapeutic areas, including central nervous system (CNS) and endocrine disorders, infectious diseases, cancer, and mental health conditions.
By releasing an active drug gradually, LAIs also reduce fluctuations in drug concentrations, maintaining more consistent levels in the bloodstream rather than the peaks and troughs commonly associated with oral medications. This can be particularly beneficial for patients managing chronic conditions, such as diabetes and mental health disorders.
The success of LAI therapies has already been demonstrated in conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder affects approximately 1–2% of the population and is often associated with other physical comorbidities. One study found that LAI treatment was associated with a significant reduction in both the number of hospitalizations and the total number of days patients spent in hospital.1 These findings suggest that LAIs have the potential to improve treatment adherence and, ultimately, enhance quality of life for people living with chronic conditions.
Here, we examine some pioneering companies in the long-acting therapeutics industry.
Medincell: Polymer-Based Drug Delivery Across Indications
Medincell, based in Montpellier, France, is a pharmaceutical company at the commercial stage that aims to enhance and safeguard the health of people. Its focus lies on improving treatment adherence, and transforming patient outcomes worldwide through their “Global Access" Initiative and collaborations with tier-one pharmaceutical companies.
To reduce their environmental footprint, MedinCell has an environmental policy set in place. They aim to develop products with a reduced environmental impact, design new sustainable technologies, and reduce the manufacturing processes and waste. By reducing waste, emissions and rationalizing energy use, MedinCell tries to minimize their global footprint. Their policies outline clear goals, daily practices and actions to be environmentally responsible.
They have developed the patented BEPO® technology, to ensure patient compliance while reducing their environmental footprint. BEPO controls and guarantees regular delivery at the optimal dose for the determined period and is the foundation of their approved therapeutic. Following subcutaneous injection, the technology creates a biodegradable polymer deposit under the skin for either systemic or local action. From this, the active ingredient is gradually released and absorbed over the intended treatment period. A new polymer combination, consisting of diblock and triblock copolymers containing hydrophilic and water-soluble blocks linked with hydrophobic and amorphous blocks, will be developed for each unique formulation to customize the drug-release profile for the specific active ingredient and the duration of treatment.
For example, UZEDY® is an extended-release monthly or bimonthly (depending on indication) subcutaneous injection of risperidone. UZEDY was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder, eliminating the need for daily antipsychotic medication. UZEDY uses MedinCell’s BEPO copolymer technology, licensed to Teva as SteadyTeqTM, to facilitate the steady and sustained release of risperidone. Unlike intramuscular long-acting risperidone formulations, UZEDY can be injected under the skin using a very small needle.
Beyond UZEDY, the BEPO technology can be applied across therapeutic areas. The company is exploring applications including post-op pain, contraception, and malaria in phase III trials.
Medincell also entered into a strategic agreement with AbbVie in 2024 to co-develop up to six long-acting injectable therapies using the BEPO platform across therapeutic areas and multiple indications. Medincell received a $35 million upfront payment to conduct formulation and preclinical development, after which AbbVie would assume responsibility for clinical development, regulatory approval, manufacturing, and commercialization. The molecule and indication for the first program, mdc-AbbVie-1, remain confidential.
Medincell’s late-stage pipeline includes mdc-TJK, also known as TEV-’749, an investigational once-monthly subcutaneous formulation of olanzapine developed with Teva for schizophrenia. No cases of post-injection delirium/sedation syndrome were observed in its Phase III program, a potential advantage over the approved intramuscular formulation. The European Medicines Agency accepted the Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) in May 2026.2 Additionally, mdc-CWM is being developed for the reduction of post-op pain and inflammation.
Camurus: LAIs for Chronic Conditions
Camurus is a global pharmaceutical company headquartered in Lund, Sweden, that focuses on developing and commercializing treatments for patients with various chronic conditions across therapeutic areas, including CNS, rare, and endocrine diseases, as well as oncology. The company’s product candidates are intended to address unmet medical needs, and could potentially make a significant difference in the daily lives of patients.
A key component of Camurus' approach is its FluidCrystal® drug delivery technology. The formulation consists of an active ingredient dissolved in a lipid-based liquid that is injected subcutaneously. Once injected, the lipid solution transforms into a liquid crystalline gel that encapsulates the active ingredient within the tissue. As the gel gradually degrades, it releases the drug in a controlled manner over a period ranging from days to months, depending on the formulation. One example is BRIXADI® (buprenorphine), which is used to treat opioid use disorder by providing sustained drug release. This long-acting formulation reduces the frequency of dosing and may decrease the need for frequent clinic visits compared with daily treatment.
Camurus also has a broad R&D pipeline, developed both in-house and through partnerships. Several product candidates are advancing through late-stage clinical development. For example, the company has a treatment for acromegaly, a rare endocrine disorder that is often diagnosed only after years of symptoms, in the registration phase. Other late-stage programs include therapies for gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) and polycystic liver disease, highlighting the company's commitment to addressing diseases with significant unmet medical needs.
Ascendis Pharma: LAIs For Endocrine Conditions
Ascendis Pharma is a global biopharmaceutical company with operations across the world, and headquarters in Denmark. The company currently focuses on areas such as endocrinology, rare diseases and oncology.
Ascendis' LAI therapies are developed using its proprietary TransCon® (Transient Conjugation) technology, which can be applied to antibodies, proteins, small molecules and more. This unique technology temporarily links the unmodified parent drug to an inert carrier via a specially designed linker dependent on the parent drug and required release profile. The carrier protects the parent drug from being cleared, so natural physiologic conditions initiate the release of the drug. This LAI can then act systemically or locally, while maintaining the original mechanism of action of the drug.
Ascendis currently has three products for endocrinology conditions approved for marketing. These includes YUVIWEL® (navepegritide), an FDA-approved once-weekly injection for children with achondroplasia. Ascendis also has other drugs in the development pipeline for achondoplasia.
Other Ascendis products include SKYTROFA® (lonapegsomatropin and lonapegsomatropin-tcgd in the United States), a once-weekly injection for growth hormone deficiency, and YORVIPATH® (palopegteriparatide) for hypoparathyroidism.
Beyond endocrinology, the TransCon® technology can also be applied to oncology. An investigational oncology trial is evaluating the safety and tolerability of TransCon IL-2 for the use in advanced or metastatic solid tumours. The drug has the potential to provide anti-tumor effects through selective activation of immune cells and reduced risk of toxicity.
Vivani Medical: LAIs for Type 2 Diabetes
Vivani Medical is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company based in California, USA.
With GLP-1 receptor agonists being among the world’s best-selling drug classes, Vivani Medical is working on ultra-long-acting and miniature GLP-1 drug implants using its proprietary NanoPortalTM platform technology. Their products in development, NPM-139 and NPM-133, are designed to deliver sustained doses of semaglutide over six months for chronic weight management and type 2 diabetes, respectively. Preclinical studies indicate that the novel semaglutide implant generated 20% weight loss with a single dose over six months.
As of March 2026, 40.1 million — a staggering 12% of the U.S. population - has type 2 diabetes.3 The health risks that follow living with diabetes are immense, from neuropathy to blindness, making the problem of treatment adherence alarming.
Vivani is developing NPM-133, which is a miniature GLP-1 receptor agonist implant designed to provide continuous treatment for patients with type 2 diabetes. Semaglutide helps lower blood glucose by increasing insulin secretion and reducing glucagon secretion when glucose levels are elevated. By delivering semaglutide steadily over an extended period, NPM-133 is intended to replace daily pills or weekly injections, reduce treatment burden, and support medication adherence.
The miniature implant consists of a reservoir and nanotubes, where the medication is contained and inserted subdermally. This technology allows for each implant to be custom designed to the specific drug molecule. A distinguishing feature of the platform is its ability to deliver large hydrophilic molecules, such as peptides and proteins, that are often challenging to formulate in conventional long-acting delivery systems.
Delpor: Developers of Once-Yearly Therapeutics
Based in Brisbane, California, Delpor is a biopharmaceutical company that produces once-yearly therapeutics, with a focus on CNS disorders, such as schizophrenia, opioid use disorder, spasticity, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.
Delpor’s therapies are delivered using a small device that is inserted by a physician in 10 minutes, which can also be removed just as easily if the treatment needs to be interrupted.
The implant is around 4–5 cm in length, and contains no moving parts. The drug is released through passive, and non-mechanical diffusion. This mechanism enables zero-order release with certain drugs, enabling a steady, constant rate of release that maintains stable blood levels. This avoids the peaks and troughs associated with typical oral medications and supports treatment adherence.
Delpor’s technology helps to overcome certain limitations; they allow the sustained release of drugs without decline for a year or longer. If device removal is needed, Delpor’s technologies allow for a short washout period that reduces the complications of switching treatments in comparison with other depot formulations. When compared to other subcutaneous implants, the difference is the ability to achieve zero-order release pharmacokinetics.
Their technologies include PROZORTM and NANOPORTM. PROZOR has allowed the development of long-acting formulations of risperidone, naltrexone and tizanidine for schizophrenia, opioid dependence and spasticity, respectively, while NANOPOR is aimed at sustained delivery of peptides and proteins.
Many antipsychotics and other small molecule drugs have limited water solubility at neutral pH, creating a challenge for passive implant systems that depend on diffusion to release the drug. Delpor’s PROZOR technology resolves this by maintaining an acidic environment within the implant reservoir, increasing the drug’s solubility and establishing the concentration gradient needed to drive its controlled release through the device’s membranes. This approach enables certain poorly soluble drugs to be delivered continuously from a small, non-mechanical subcutaneous implant.
Alessa Therapeutics: Improving Treatment Options for Prostate Cancer
Alessa Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company founded by Dr. Pamela Munster and her team at the UCSF Department of Medicine and based in San Carlos, California, has developed an implant that is smaller than a grain of rice.
Alessa focuses on developing localized treatments for solid organ diseases. Its lead product candidate, Enolen®, is being developed for early-stage prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men. At present, the treatment options are to take an aggressive course of action in the initial stages, or undergo surveillance and monitoring for years. With 13% of men predicted to be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, Alessa is developing a new treatment option for patients who may not be well served by either approach.4
The Alessa Drug Delivery System combines established, FDA-approved drugs with a biocompatible polymer matrix designed for release directly into the prostate. Once implanted in a 30-minute outpatient procedure, the drugs are continuously released for over two years, and remain localized. This localized delivery facilitates the therapeutic effects while potentially minimizing chemical castration–like side effects associated with traditional cancer therapies.
The drugs in the pipeline are in various stages of development. Biolen, for benign prostatic hyperplasia, is close to New Drug Application (NDA) Filing. The two drugs for prostate cancer (Enolen and Pamolen) are in phase I and pre-clinical stages, respectively. Each drug utilizes a different active compound. Enolen has received Fast Track designation from the FDA.
Foresee Pharmaceuticals: LAIs for Rare and Severe Diseases
Foresee Pharmaceuticals is a Taiwan-and U.S.-based biopharmaceutical company that aims to target rare and severe disease areas with high unmet needs. To achieve this goal, Foresee is building a new chemical entity (NCE) pipeline and developing its Stabilized Injectable Formulation (SIF) platform to create long-acting injectable products.
To date, Foresee’s SIF-based portfolio spans a range of indications, from cancers to bipolar disorder. A major product in the company’s portfolio is CAMCEVI®, a long-acting therapeutic that was approved by the FDA in August 2025, for advanced prostate cancer. Administered subcutaneously every six months, CAMCEVI suppresses testosterone at the source, which can help slow the growth of hormone-dependent prostate cancer. In a pivotal trial, CAMCEVI was shown to lower testosterone levels in just four weeks. Phase III trials are underway to test the use of CAMCEVI for central precocious puberty and FP014, a long-acting triptorelin formulation, for prostate cancer.
Beyond these drugs, Foresee also has several other long-acting injectable products in development, including additional candidate drugs for prostate cancer and neurological and psychiatric disorders. Foresee is also pioneering many first-in-class drugs in two categories, matrix metalloproteinase-12 (MMP-12) Inhibitors and aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) activators. Both novel drug classes would be suited for a number of indications, including asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, and neurological disease. In January 2026, Foresee licensed the development of MMP-12 inhibitors to Primevera Therapeutics.
In June 2026, Foresee announced that mirivadelgat, its oral ALDH2 activator, was entering a phase IIa trial in Norway for Parkinson’s disease. The drug is designed to increase the activity of ALDH2 and hence the clearance of toxic reactive aldehydes. A buildup of these aldehydes is thought to contribute to cellular damage and the loss of nerve cells seen in Parkinson’s disease.
