Novo Nordisk signs up to $1.4 billion deal with Orbis Medicines to develop oral macrocycle cardiometabolic drugs

Novo Nordisk announced a partnership with Danish biotech Orbis Medicines, valued at up to $1.4 billion, to co-develop oral macrocycle drugs aimed at cardiometabolic diseases.

The collaboration will target orally bioavailable macrocycle candidates, though specific targets were not disclosed. Orbis’s AI-driven platform is designed to speed discovery of ring-shaped molecules that could serve as oral biologics.

Orbis has previously attracted funding from Novo’s seed rounds and a €90 million Series A round in early 2025 that also included Eli Lilly. The new agreement marks Novo’s first formal partnership with the company.

The deal reflects growing interest in oral therapies for weight loss and related cardiometabolic conditions, building on the market momentum generated by GLP-1 pills such as Novo’s Wegovy and Lilly’s Foundayo.