Novo Nordisk inks ~$3.9B USD in GLP-1 licensing deals in a single week following investor concerns

Anthropic’s focus on the life sciences has been a key differentiator between itself and its competitors. In fact, the AI firm has announced the formation of an AI-assisted biology lab and, at the time of writing, has listed 16 life sciences related vacancies [2,3]. Anthropic building its own life sciences labs may come as no surprise to some, given the firm’s AI tool provisions for the likes of Roche, Novo Nordisk, Genentech, and Bristol Myers Squibb [3].

Beyond simply partnering with Big Pharma, Anthropic has taken its first strides towards authoring its own biological research [4]. An article titled ‘Claude discovers a novel enzyme system with CRISPR-like repeats’ hosted on the firm’s news site, detailing how Claude AI was used to identify a potential CRISPR-like gene editing system within a Jumbo phage (a large-size, large-genome bacteriophage housing a nucleus-like compartment), has been the subject of praise and skepticism [4].

The article also hosts a research report titled ‘Autonomous AI agents discover reverse transcriptases with tandem repeat arrays’, comprising bioinformatics-based discoveries followed by wet-lab validation experiments [1]. The scientists have named this family of enzymes as array-associated reverse transcriptases (ART), given the multiple spacer-repeat pairs associated with a downstream reverse transcriptase enzyme (see figure below).

What is particularly striking is how Anthropic scientists arranged these AI agents to mimic the worker-supervisor structure of a traditional lab, wherein workers proposed and executed tasks while supervisors reviewed their worker’s plans and results [1]. The entire process required 21.5 hours, 949 agents, and 215.6 million tokens, with the firm’s scientists identifying Anthropic’s Mythos 5 AI model to be the most consistent at detecting the ART’s repeat array structure [1].

While an effective tool, the cost-effectiveness of Anthropic’s approach may threaten the financial viability of training postdoctoral scientists. Anthropic’s Life Sciences Verification Program is offering a variety of access types to Fable 5.1 (Anthropic’s Mythos 5.1 model with safeguards for biology) for life sciences professionals [5]. Assuming a 50-50 split of input and output tokens, Anthropic’s ART AI research pipeline using Mythos 5.1 would have cost around $6500 USD [6] – likely a major overestimate since the paper also used cheaper Opus and Sonnet models [1]. An entry-level postdoctoral scientist, paid in line with the National Institutes of Health’s NRSA stipend levels [7], receives an annual salary of $63480 USD – approximately 10 times the estimated cost of Anthropic’s $6500 USD research pipeline. Combined with the realities of publishing pressure and time-consuming scientist training, academic and industry scientists may begin to opt for an AI agent swarm over another human hire.

Whilst the research paper’s preprint, non-peer-reviewed status has drawn criticism, others remain skeptical due to the difference between ‘CRISPR-like’ and ‘the next CRISPR’ [8].

“There’s nothing to indicate this is a rival to CRISPR-the-technology” says Dr. Kevin Blake, a microbiologist at Washington University School of Medicine [8]. He also adds that “it has long been known that there are countless CRISPR-like sequences we have yet to identify and catalog” [8] – bringing the obviousness of Anthropic’s discovery into question.

In contrast, notable figures like Dr. Feng Zhang, a major pioneer of CRISPR genome editing, have called Anthropic’s work “an exciting example of how AI agents can contribute to biological discovery” [4]. 

Perhaps Anthropic’s real achievement was coordinating an AI agent swarm to use several bioinformatics tools to discover a new enzyme family in less than a day. Otherwise, Anthropic’s work is widening the speed gap between lead generation and wet-lab validation, a gap which originated long before the AI boom.

Anthropic has since been planning an initial public offering at a massive $2T USD valuation, as per an exclusive Reuters report [9].

[1] https://www-cdn.anthropic.com/22573675ada52a8ca8a97a1a4b4326b2f208a071.pdf
[2] https://www.anthropic.com/careers/jobs
[3] https://www.reuters.com/world/anthropic-quietly-sets-up-biology-lab-it-ramps-ai-drug-program-2026-09-18/
[4] https://www.anthropic.com/news/claude-discovers-novel-enzyme-system
[5] https://www.anthropic.com/news/life-sciences-verification-program
[6] https://www.anthropic.com/claude/mythos
[7] http://osr.ucsf.edu/news/ruth-l-kirschstein-national-research-service-award-nrsa-stipends-tuition-fees-and-other-budgetary
[8] https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/9/24/ai-model-claude-discovers-crispr-like-enzyme-system-anthropic-says
[9] https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/anthropics-ipo-prospectus-shows-sweeping-ai-vision-surging-costs-2026-09-28/

Follow Nimit Mistry on LinkedIn

October 29, 2026 — New York City 🗽🇺🇸

A few weeks ago, we partnered with the Galien Foundation to give 5 members of the BioKnow community the opportunity to attend the Galien Forum on October 29, 2026, in New York City.

Congratulations to:

Joanna Sadowska, PhD, EMBA, Director of Clinical Solutions, Biorce

Kaitlyn Morse, Chief Executive Officer, VaxSyna

William Gardner, Business Development Manager, Noble Life Sciences Inc

Harsa Mitra, Ph.D., Advisor - TDA Rotational Development Program, Eli Lilly and Company

Sydney Y. Rucker, PhD, SHRM-SCP, Head of Engagement and Inclusion, Translational Medicine, Novartis

The Galien Forum brings together some of the most influential leaders, scientists and decision-makers in pharma for a day focused on the questions shaping the future of medicine, drug development and healthcare.

Our winners will have the opportunity to hear from and connect with leaders from organizations including Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Roche, Regeneron, Merck and other globally recognized companies.

These are the people advancing new therapies, leading scientific research, building breakthrough technologies and making decisions that can change the direction of an organization, a field of research and, ultimately, patient care. That is what makes this opportunity so significant.

For more than 20 years, Prix Galien USA has recognized the innovations that have transformed patient care. The Galien Forum brings the people behind that progress into one room to exchange ideas, challenge assumptions and discuss where the industry goes next.

To our winners, congratulations. Keep an eye on your DMs over the coming days. We’ll be reaching out with the information you need to attend the Forum.

We’re proud to be sending 5 members of the BioKnow community into that room.

See you in New York. 🗽🇺🇸

Follow The Galien Foundation on LinkedIn to stay updated on announcements, speakers, and innovations and upcoming event.

The European Commission has approved AstraZeneca’s triple-combination inhaler, Breztri Aerosphere (to be marketed in Europe as Trixeo) as a maintenance treatment for asthma in patients aged 12 and older. The approval applies to patients whose condition remains inadequately controlled on medium-dose inhaled corticosteroid and long-acting β2 agonist (ICS/LABA) combinations. Authorization was backed by Phase 3 data from the Kalos and Logos trials, in which the therapy significantly improved lung function and reduced severe asthma exacerbation rates compared to dual-combination care.

This European approval represents Breztri’s third global regulatory milestone for asthma, following earlier clearances in the United States and Japan, with an additional review currently pending in China. Already a blockbuster treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Breztri’s commercial trajectory in the broader asthma space serves as a major strategic growth driver toward AstraZeneca’s target of achieving $80B USD in total revenue by 2030.

Breye Therapeutics has closed an oversubscribed €67.5M EUR Series A financing round co-led by Mission BioCapital and existing investor Novo Holdings. The syndicate included participation from Sound Bioventures, the Ljungström family office, Innovestor Life Science, EIFO, Catalyze Capital, Modi Ventures, and Pappas Capital.

The proceeds will primarily fund a randomized phase 2 proof-of-concept clinical trial, scheduled to start in 2027, for lead asset danegaptide. Danegaptide is a first-in-class, orally administered small molecule designed to stabilize retinal vasculature and protect against hyperglycemia-induced capillary breakdown in patients with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR). Following positive phase 1b data showing safety and retinal imaging evidence of reduced vascular leakage, the oral therapy provides a non-invasive alternative or complement to burdensome intravitreal eye injections in a diabetic retinopathy market expected to approach $20B USD over the next decade.

Additionally, the series A funding will support the advancement of Breye's broader pre-clinical pipeline toward IND-enabling studies. These assets include an oral P2X7 receptor antagonist designed to mitigate neuroinflammation in intermediate age-related macular degeneration (iAMD) and oral neuroprotective molecules targeting glaucoma.

In a sudden burst of dealmaking, Novo Nordisk struck two licensing agreements totaling roughly $3.9B USD within a single week. The Danish drugmaker agreed to pay up to $2.6B EUR to Hengrui Pharmaceuticals for HRS-1596, an oral GLP-1/GIP dual agonist targeting obesity and type 2 diabetes. At the same time, Novo has committed up to €1.165B EUR (~$1.32B USD, as of Sept 2026) to license Nanexa’s PharmaShell technology used to deposit inorganic coatings onto individual drug particles, aiming to develop monthly and quarterly long-acting injectable peptide treatments across five programs.

This pair of deals has come soon after investors raised concerns over Novo's long-term direction and impending semaglutide patent expiries in 2030 and 2032, with these swift deals rapidly expanding Novo’s pipeline. By acquiring next-generation delivery platforms and oral candidate assets in a matter of days, Novo has addressed market concerns proactively while reinforcing its long-term positioning in metabolic disease through strategic improvements.