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Novo Gets Its Own ‘Triple G’ Obesity Drug To Rival Lilly

 
• By Andrew McConaghie

The obesity market leader is teaming up with China’s United Bio-Technology to develop a product they believe could beat Lilly’s late-stage same-class candidate retatrutide.

Novo Nordisk
• Source: Shutterstock

Novo Nordisk is to pay $200m upfront to in-license a ‘triple G’ agonist obesity candidate, helping it compete head-to-head with fierce rival Eli Lilly.

The deal with China-based United Bio-Technology (Hengqin) was announced by Novo on 24 March and centers on UBT251, a triple agonist of the receptors for glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1),

Key Takeaways
  • Novo is paying $200m upfront and up to $1.8bn in milestones plus royalties for ex-China rights to the triple agonist

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