Vivani Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ: VANI) opened Thursday slightly lower. The company, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical concern developing miniature, ultra long-acting drug implants, announced today that it has received approval from Bellberry, a human research ethics committee (HREC) in Australia to initiate SLIM-1™, a Phase 1 clinical trial of NPM-139, a semaglutide implant.
Vivani CEO Adam Mendelsohn, Ph.D., stated, “HREC approval to initiate SLIM-1 in Australia marks an important moment for our Company, clearing the way for near-term, mid-2026, initiation.
“We are eager to conduct this Phase 1 clinical trial of NPM-139, a semaglutide implant, building on the success of the Phase 1 clinical trial with NPM-119 (exenatide implant) we conducted in Australia in 2025.”
Mendelsohn continued: “In parallel with the execution of SLIM-1, our team is preparing diligently for SLIM-2 which, pending successful results from SLIM-1, we anticipate will be a dose-ranging efficacy-oriented trial of NPM-139 with the aim of accelerating the development of NPM-139’s clinical program.
“We believe that the market demand for a miniature, reversible GLP-1 implant technology will be strong, and we are fully committed to bringing this important technology to patients. We are grateful for the regulatory approval to initiate SLIM-1 and we look forward to providing further SLIM-1 updates as we proceed.”
VANI shares gave up two cents, or 1.6%, to $1.20.
