Novo Nordisk is deepening its push for oral alternatives to injectable cardiometabolic biologics through a major collaboration with Orbis Medicines. The Danish companies will use Orbis’ AI-enabled macrocycle platform to design orally bioavailable compounds aimed at replacing or improving on existing injectable therapies across obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Under the agreement, Orbis is eligible for undisclosed upfront and development and commercial milestone payments totaling up to $1.4 billion, plus tiered royalties. Novo is also making a strategic investment in Orbis, reinforcing the deal’s alignment with Novo’s broader R&D retooling after its recent leadership challenges in obesity and diabetes. Orbis’ nGen platform is positioned as a lab-in-the-loop system that continuously optimizes synthetic macrocycles (nCycles) for oral bioavailability and membrane permeability—an approach intended to overcome longstanding absorption limits for oral peptide-like molecules. The collaboration targets validated cardiometabolic biology already proven by injectable blockbuster therapies.