Novo Nordisk links up with Photys Thera on cardiometabolic targets

Marking its second deal this month alone, Novo Nordisk (NOV: N) has entered into a multi-year collaboration with Massachusetts, USA-based Photys Therapeutics to develop novel proximity-based therapeutics for a cardiometabolic disease target.

The Danish diabetes and obesity giant has been making a concerted push to bolster its pipeline beyond GLP-1 stalwarts Ozempic and Wegovy, both based on semaglutide, branching out into other cardiometabolic conditions like metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and chronic kidney disease (CKD).

The lates accord combines Novo Nordisk’s deep expertise in cardiometabolic diseases with Photys’ proprietary PHIC (PHosphorylation Inducing Chimeric Small molecules) technology, which induces proximity between a kinase and a target of interest to phosphorylate the target and thereby alter its biologic function.