Novo Nordisk has agreed to pay up to $2.6 billion for the rights to an experimental once-weekly obesity pill from China's Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals, the companies said in a news release announcing their exclusive license agreement for HRS-1596 on Sept. 29. The drug targets the same two hormone pathways as Eli Lilly's Zepbound but is designed to be swallowed once a week. It has not yet been tested in people.
For the millions of Americans considering weight-loss drugs, the deal shows where the industry is headed: fewer injections and fewer daily pills. But any weekly pill is years from pharmacy shelves, and the drugs available now are unchanged.
