Novo pays $300 million upfront to license Hengrui’s weekly oral GLP-1/GIP weight-loss drug

Novo Nordisk announced a licensing agreement with Chinese drugmaker Hengrui for a preclinical weekly oral GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist aimed at weight loss.

The deal involves an upfront payment of $300 million, marking Novo’s fourth weight-loss-focused partnership this year.

The candidate is still in preclinical development but is notable for its potential once‑weekly oral dosing, which could differentiate it from existing injectable GLP‑1 therapies.

The agreement expands Novo’s pipeline of obesity treatments and underscores its strategy of securing multiple external assets to meet growing market demand.