Story perspectives

Novo Nordisk Lands Exclusive Licence for Nanexa’s PharmaShell

By Drooid · Sep 25, 2026, 5:59 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Novo Nordisk secured an exclusive worldwide licence to Nanexa’s PharmaShell platform.
The deal provides up to EUR 1.165 billion, with EUR 615 million paid upfront.
The licence covers up to five long-acting injectable peptide programmes for obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiometabolic disease.
Novo Nordisk repurchased B-shares worth more than DKK 9.6 billion since February, while its shares are down 23 % year-to-date.

History

Historical Context

Following Banting and Best’s 1922 insulin breakthrough, Eli Lilly’s recombinant Humulin received FDA approval in 1982, establishing the first large-scale biotech diabetes therapy. That precedent paved the way for Novo Nordisk’s 2024 exclusive licence with Nanexa’s PharmaShell platform to develop obesity and type-2 diabetes treatments, as the global biologics market reached $390 billion in 2020.

1 of 2

Story summary

Novo Nordisk secured an exclusive worldwide licence to Nanexa’s PharmaShell platform.
The deal provides up to EUR 1.165 billion, with EUR 615 million paid upfront.
The licence covers up to five long-acting injectable peptide programmes for obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiometabolic disease.
Novo Nordisk repurchased B-shares worth more than DKK 9.6 billion since February, while its shares are down 23 % year-to-date.

1 / 2