Novo bets big on Hengrui’s weight loss pill in $2.6B deal Pharma deals, regulatory updates, new treatments and more led the news this week. Brought to you byDDN editorial team

Novo bets big on Hengrui’s weight loss pill in $2.6B deal Pharma deals, regulatory updates, new treatments and more led the news this week. Brought to you byDDN editorial team https://www.drugdiscoverynews.com/novo-bets-big-on-hengrui-s-weight-loss-pill-in-2-6b-deal-17563 In an increasingly competitive oral GLP-1 market, Novo set its sights on Hengrui Pharma’s GLP-1/GIP dual receptor agonist that boasts the potential for once-weekly oral dosing. The company agreed to pay Hengrui $300 million up front for rights to the drug, HRS-1596, with milestone payments up to $2.6 billion. Currently, the drug is in Phase 1 trials in China to treat patients with type 2 diabetes and weight management. “Novo has pioneered the field of oral peptides and as leaders, we continuously look to advance our broad and deep oral pipeline across obesity, diabetes and other cardiometabolic diseases through our strong internal capabilities and leading external innovation," said Martin Holst Lange, Executive Vice president, Research & Development and Chief Scientific Officer at Novo in the statement. – Allison Whitten