Rani Therapeutics' stock soared more than 161% on Friday after announcing a collaboration worth up to $1.085 billion with Roche's Chugai Pharmaceutical to develop oral versions of therapeutics, including rare disease and immunology programmes, that are typically injected.The alliance centres on Rani's RaniPill capsule, a robotic pill designed to deliver complex molecules through the gut wall. According to the biotech's website, the capsule moves intact through the stomach — bypassing the acidic environment that typically degrades drugs — before reaching the intestine, where it administers the therapy via a transenteric injection.Rani will receive $10 million upfront, up to $75 million in technology transfer and development milestones, and up to $100 million in potential sales milestones and single-digit royalties on product sales for the first license agreement, which covers one of Chugai's experimental rare-disease antibodies. The Japanese drugmaker also has the option to extend the agreement to five additional targets on similar terms, bringing the total potential deal value to over $1 billion.Less burdensome therapies"Rani's innovative oral delivery technology opens up new possibilities for the administration of biologics, which have traditionally been limited to injections," remarked Tomoyuki Igawa, who heads Chugai's research division. By integrating the platform with the Japanese firm's antibody engineering technologies, Igawa says "we expect to create entirely new value in the form of oral therapies that are less burdensome for patients."Alongside the partnership, Rani also closed a $60.3-million private placement led by Samsara BioCapital, with participation from RA Capital, Anomaly, Special Situations Funds, Invus and Rani founder Mir Imran. The financing is expected to fund operations through 2028 when combined with expected milestone payments from Chugai, and "[position] us to advance our RaniPill platform with clarity, focus, and momentum," CEO Talat Imran said.