All details of the technology involved, drug in question and pharmaceutical customer are being kept confidential, however, Unilife was able to disclose that the research is due to begin either late this year or early next.
The US-headquartered firm also said that it signed the clinical supply agreement after supplying the unnamed customer with an initial quantity of the device in April.
The deal, and the income it will surely generate, is good news for Unilife which has struggled in recent quarters.
Last month, for example, the firm reported a drop in revenue for the three months to March 31 due to the absence of milestone payments from Sanofi, formerly Sanofi-Aventis, which licensed rights to its Unifill syringe in a non-exclusive $40m deal in 2010 .
Speaking about the new deal CEO, Alan Shortall, said: "Targeted organ delivery is one of the key technology platforms within Unilife's rapidly expanding device portfolio.
“This initial agreement with another leading global pharmaceutical company signals the start of our expansion into other high-value segments in advanced drug delivery systems.”
He added that: “We are able to secure agreements like this because of the successful commercialization of the Unifill syringe,” but did not confirm that this was the technology involved in this particular deal.
Shortall also set the deal in a wider market context suggesting that it is a further indications that drugmakers are starting to demand more for delivery technologies.
“The drug delivery market is now being driven by a new paradigm whereby pharmaceutical companies want innovative devices that are customized to meet the specific needs of highly specialized biologics and the target patient population.
“Pharmaceutical companies especially desire devices with superior safety and functionality features that can enable their drug products to generate powerful brand differentiation within competitive markets.