Novo Nordisk looks to next generation of obesity, diabetes drugs with $550M Replicate research deal

(Aug 28, 2025) by Darren Incorvaia.

As obesity pioneer Novo Nordisk loses ground in the race for next-generation drugs, the Danish pharma giant is betting on novel RNA technology to bolster its early-stage pipeline.

Novo has inked a multiyear research collaboration with Replicate Bioscience, potentially worth $550 million, giving the Big Pharma access to Replicate’s platform to go after cardiometabolic disease targets.

Under the terms of the deal, Novo will fund Replicate’s research in return for the exclusive, global right to develop and commercialize resulting lead programs, Replicate announced in an Aug. 28 release.