Shire in deal to develop a new way to administer hemophilia drug

Shire Plc said on Tuesday it had partnered with a California-based company to develop a new way to administer a drug to treat hemophilia A.

The company, Rani Therapeutics, has developed a technology that will help oral delivery of peptides, proteins and therapeutic antibodies which to date could be delivered only through injections.

Once delivered through Rani Pill - the oral delivery technology - the drug stays in the body until it enters the small intestine and transfers the medicine into the intestinal wall, the companies said.

The method does not expose the medication to digestive enzymes and is also expected to be pain-free since the intestines do not have sharp pain receptors, the companies said.

Shire, which made an equity investment in Rani, has the option to negotiate a licensing deal to develop and market the drug delivery approach, after completion of certain studies.

Hemophilia is a chronic disease that causes longer-than-normal bleeding due to absent or deficient clotting factor in the blood.