Eli Lilly signs $1.3bn obesity-focused research deal with Nimbus

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Source: Pharmaceutical Technology

Original: https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/news/eli-lilly-signs-1-3bn-obesity-foc...

Published: Wed, 07 Jan 2026 11:49:34 +0000

Eli Lilly entered into a multi-year research collaboration and exclusive license with Nimbus Therapeutics to develop a new oral drug for obesity and other metabolic diseases.[1][3][6] The deal has a total potential value of $1.3 billion.[1][3][6] Nimbus will receive upfront and short-term milestone payments totaling $55 million.[1][3][6] Additional payments include development, commercial and sales milestones worth up to $1.3 billion, along with tiered royalties on global net sales.[1][3][6] Nimbus will use its approach based on computational chemistry, structure-based drug design and AI models for early-stage small molecule discovery.[1][3][6] The collaboration builds on a previous agreement from 2022 focused on AMPK activators for cardio-metabolic diseases.[1][3][6] Ruth Gimeno of Eli Lilly said it was an important contribution to innovative treatments for metabolic disorders.[1][3][6] Peter J. Tummino of Nimbus highlighted the combination of their discovery capabilities with Lilly's expertise in metabolic diseases.[3][6]