Novartis Partners with Unnatural Products on Up to $1.8B Macrocyclic Peptide Deal for Cardiovascular Therapeutics

Novartis entered a research collaboration and licensing agreement with Unnatural Products (UNP) announced on February 18, 2026, to develop macrocyclic peptide therapeutics targeting undruggable targets with potential cardiovascular applications.1 2 5

UNP receives up to $100 million in upfront and pre-IND milestone payments, plus up to $1.7 billion in development, regulatory, and commercial milestones, and royalties on net sales.1 2 3

The deal leverages UNP's AI-enhanced macrocycle discovery platform combined with Novartis' development, manufacturing, and commercialization expertise; Novartis handles IND-enabling studies and beyond.1 2 5

Specific disease targets and number of programs undisclosed, but focused on next-generation therapies for cardiovascular disease amid Novartis' strategy to bolster its early-stage pipeline.2 3 4

UNP CEO Cameron Pye highlighted Novartis' cardiovascular innovation expertise; Novartis' Muneto Mogi noted macrocycles enable new drug discovery avenues.1 2 6

Novartis' top cardio drug Entresto generated $7.7B in 2025 revenue, down 1% due to generics, prompting pipeline expansion.3 7

UNP has prior partnerships with Merck, argenx, and others for macrocyclic peptides in cancer and rare diseases.2 3