Famed Obesity Drug Maker Novo Nordisk Inks Collaborations For Cardiometabolic Diseases

Novo Nordisk A/S NVO, Omega Therapeutics Inc OMGA, and Cellarity Inc. announced that Novo Nordisk has entered into separate research collaborations with each company. 

The Omega collaboration will leverage its proprietary platform technology to develop an epigenomic controller designed to enhance metabolic activity as a part of a potential new treatment approach for obesity management. 

The Cellarity collaboration aims to unravel novel biological drivers of MASH, a chronic and progressive liver disease and will leverage Cellarity's platform to develop a small molecule therapy against this disease.

These are the first two programs signed under the framework collaboration between Flagship Pioneering and Novo Nordisk to leverage Flagship's bioplatform companies to develop novel treatment approaches for cardiometabolic diseases.

In September 2022, Novo Nordisk engaged Cellarity to identify novel cell behaviors implicated in MASH disease progression. 

The research collaboration expands on this initial work and will further leverage Cellarity's platform to develop a small molecule therapy. 

Each company, Novo Nordisk and Pioneering Medicines will jointly advance these respective programs through preclinical development and conduct foundational activities. 

After that point, Novo Nordisk could advance the programs into clinical studies. 

Under the terms of the respective agreements, Novo Nordisk will reimburse R&D costs. 

Additionally, each agreement may pay up to $532 million in upfront, development, commercial milestone payments, and tiered royalties on annual net sales of a licensed product, to be shared between the respective companies and Flagship's Pioneering Medicines.

Price Action: NVO stock is up 2.62% at $106.35, and OMGA shares are up 90.70% at $5.21 on the last check Thursday.