Novartis bets $100M on peptide breakthroughs for untreatable diseases

Novartis has teamed up with Unnatural Products (UNP) in a deal worth up to $100 million. The partnership focuses on developing peptide-based treatments for cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic diseases. UNP's expertise in macrocyclic peptides could help Novartis tackle conditions that are hard to treat with traditional drugs.

UNP specialises in macrocyclic peptide drugs, which can target proteins that small-molecule medicines cannot reach. Their technology blends automated experiments with machine learning to refine these peptides continuously. The resulting compounds can be given as pills or injections, offering flexible treatment options.

Novartis already has experience in this field. Since 2023, it has worked with Bicycle Therapeutics on bicyclic peptides. The company has also expanded its peptide and protein-based drug efforts in recent years. In 2024, it began a preclinical collaboration with PeptiDream, focusing on macrocyclic peptides for solid tumours. A year later, it launched a clinical partnership with Bicycle Therapeutics for autoimmune disease treatments and a preclinical deal with Kymab (now owned by Sanofi) on protein therapies for rare genetic disorders.

This latest agreement with UNP adds to Novartis's growing pipeline in peptide and protein-based medicines. The focus remains on areas where traditional drugs have struggled, including oncology, immunology, and rare diseases.

The deal with UNP marks Novartis's fourth major partnership in peptide or protein-based therapies since 2023. With up to $100 million invested, the collaboration aims to deliver new treatments for complex diseases. The first results will depend on how quickly UNP's platform can produce viable drug candidates.