Novo Nordisk to Acquire Three Obesity Drug Programs from Kallyope

Novo Nordisk has announced an asset purchase agreement to acquire three novel obesity drug development programs initiated by Kallyope, according to a LinkedIn post by Jacob Petersen, senior vice president and head of global research at Novo Nordisk.

The acquired programs focus on non-incretin approaches to obesity, adding potential mechanisms beyond the GLP-1 class that has dominated the current obesity treatment market. The assets include a potential first-in-class peptide program, a follow-on small molecule program aimed at a novel target, and another small molecule receptor agonist program currently in lead optimization.

The lead peptide-based candidate, K-554, is IND-ready. Kallyope has previously described K-554 as a once-weekly, non-incretin approach to regulating food intake, with biology distinct from GLP-1-based therapies. The company had been preparing to begin Phase 1 testing, with data expected in the second half of 2026.

Petersen said the programs could offer a differentiated efficacy and tolerability profile, either as monotherapy or in combination with incretin therapies. The move underscores Novo Nordisk’s effort to deepen and diversify its obesity pipeline at a time when pharmaceutical companies are racing to develop next-generation weight-management medicines.

“As we work to address the diverse needs of people living with obesity, we continue to build a broad and deep pipeline spanning a variety of treatment approaches, with multiple candidates entering clinical development this year,” Petersen said in the announcement.

Financial terms of the Kallyope asset purchase agreement were not disclosed. Novo and Kallyope have collaborated previously, but this transaction represents a new agreement.