Novo, Merck each pay $200M for pipeline additions: Deals Report

As pharmas scramble to fill their pipelines with next-wave therapies against non-GLP-1 targets to treat obesity, Novo has snapped up rights to a treatment that could be first in its class.

Novo Nordisk A/S (CSE:NOVO B; NYSE:NVO) is paying Lexicon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:LXRX) $45 million up front, plus $30 million in near-term milestones, for exclusive, worldwide rights to ACSL5 inhibitor LX9851. The companies said the target has been associated with effects on fat mass, weight, satiety and energy balance...