Novartis partners with Unnatural Products (UNP) in a $1.8B deal for AI-designed macrocyclic peptides targeting cardiovascular disease. Up to $100M upfront, $1.7B milestones, and royalties fuel oral therapies for undruggable targets.
Written By: Nikita Chaudhari, BPharm
Reviewed By: Pharmacally Editorial Team
Unnatural Products, Inc. (UNP), a California-based biotech specializing in orally delivered macrocyclic peptides, announced a research collaboration and licensing agreement with Novartis on an undisclosed program targeting cardiovascular disease.
The deal leverages UNP’s AI-enhanced platform alongside Novartis’ development expertise to create next-generation therapeutics for hard-to-drug targets.
Macrocyclic peptides combine the potency and selectivity of biologics with the oral bioavailability and drug-like properties of small molecules. UNP’s discovery engine integrates AI-guided design, parallel synthesis, and biology screening to produce candidates for both oral and injectable use.
Under the agreement, Novartis will handle IND-enabling studies, clinical development, manufacturing, and global commercialization.
“This collaboration validates the strength of our program and highlights the ability of UNP’s platform to deliver differentiated macrocyclic therapeutics for high-value biological targets for chronic diseases with high unmet need,” said Cameron Pye, Ph.D., CEO and Co-Founder of UNP.
Novartis’ Muneto Mogi, Global Head of Global Discovery Chemistry, added, “Advances in macrocyclic chemistry are opening entirely new avenues in drug discovery allowing us to engage targets at a dose and with a pharmacological versatility not possible with many other approaches. He also added “We believe this collaboration positions both organizations to accelerate the development of new therapies with strong scientific and clinical potential”.
Financially, UNP receives up to $100 million in upfront and pre-IND milestones, plus up to $1.7 billion in later development, regulatory, and sales milestones.
Royalties range from mid-single to low double-digits on net sales.
Founded by macrocycle experts, UNP focuses on undruggable targets in chronic diseases.
Reference
Unnatural Products Announces Licensing Agreement with Novartis to Develop Macrocyclic Peptide Therapeutics, 18 February 2026, UNP via GlobeNewswire, https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/02/18/3240126/0/en/Unnatural-Products-Announces-Licensing-Agreement-with-Novartis-to-Develop-Macrocyclic-Peptide-Therapeutics.html