Case Study - Innovarus Ltd

Innovarus Ltd is a research-driven pharmaceutical company based at Alderley Park, specialising in the development of long-acting injectable (LAI) therapies that improve treatment experience, clinical outcomes, and healthcare sustainability.

Their lead product, Octovarus, is a three-month sustained release formulation of Octreotide for Acromegaly, Neuroendocrine Tumours (NETs), and Polycystic Liver Disease (PLD), offering a major improvement over existing monthly treatments by reducing the injection frequency, improving tolerability, and using a novel in situ forming implant technology.

Octovarus integrates three innovation components — a novel formulation, an in situ forming implant delivery system, and a unique single syringe medical device — creating a highly complex regulatory profile requiring specialist external expertise.

Coordinating these programmes while advancing R&D created considerable strain without external support.

From early on, Innovarus engaged deeply with the Innovate UK Business Growth service. Under the guidance of Senior Innovation & Growth Specialist Michelle Lockwood, the support included:

• Accessing GM Business Growth Hub support and introductions to specialist networks.
• Engagement with the University of Manchester (UoM) to explore research partnerships and establish foundations for future translational research projects, strengthening academic collaboration pathways.
• Support in navigating Biomedical Catalyst funding opportunities, and application feedback.
• An RTO Catapult funding application to access external expertise, including a structured provider selection process and selection of Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC).
• A full IPO funded IP Audit that provided clarity around the scope of protectable innovations, identified IP gaps, and set out next steps.

This strong engagement across the Innovate UK ecosystem positioned Innovarus to make faster progress toward regulatory clarity and investment readiness.

Through referrals from Innovate UK Business Growth, Innovarus also engaged with GM Business Growth Hub, including support from Dr Yousef Taktak, Health and Life Sciences Specialist, to connect with research, laboratory and commercialisation partners, develop project proposals, and secure innovation grant funding to support late-stage product development. This enabled Innovarus to access specialist testing capabilities and external expertise, strengthening its technical evidence package and helping progress towards market readiness.

Innovarus now has a defensible regulatory roadmap, a clearer development plan, strengthened industrial networks, and an improved ability to access future Innovate UK funding, enhancing its internal capability and strategic confidence.

Amin Fathi, CEO at Innovarus, said: "Working with Michelle Lockwood as our advisor at Innovate UK Business Growth has been instrumental in strengthening our regulatory strategy and expanding our academic and industrial networks. Over the past 12 months, this collaboration has significantly de-risked our development activities by enabling targeted engagement with leading experts, institutions, and the local innovation ecosystem. This has accelerated our progress and connected us with specialists who have provided valuable input on our regulatory strategy, CMC design, and compliance, as well as broader industry insights critical to our development.

"Additionally, this engagement directly contributed to securing Innovate UK funding, which has been instrumental in supporting higher-risk areas of our programme and accelerating our progress beyond the original plan."