Novo Signs Deal Worth Up to $1.4 Billion With Orbis Medicines to Discover Oral Macrocycle Drugs for Cardiometabolic Diseases
Orbis Medicines, based in Copenhagen and Lausanne, announced on Thursday, September 17, 2026 a multi-target discovery and license agreement with Novo to design oral macrocycle drugs for undisclosed cardiometabolic targets. Orbis can receive up to $1.4 billion in upfront and development and commercial milestone payments plus tiered royalties, and Novo will make a strategic investment of undisclosed size. The work uses Orbis's nGen platform, which combines generative AI, high-throughput synthesis, and a multi-parameter optimization engine trained on the company's experimental macrocycle data. Orbis chief executive Morten Graugaard said its synthetic macrocycles have reached up to 18% oral bioavailability in preclinical studies. Orbis launched in January 2025 with a €90 million (about $93 million) Series A led by NEA, with Lilly Ventures, Forbion, and Novo Holdings among its investors.