Unnatural Products Secures Novartis Partnership Worth Up to $1.8 Billion for Macrocyclic Peptide Therapeutics in Cardiovascular Disease

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Unnatural Products announced a research collaboration and licensing agreement with Novartis on February 18, 2026, for an undisclosed program targeting cardiovascular disease124.

The deal includes up to $100 million in upfront and pre-IND milestone payments, plus up to $1.7 billion in development, regulatory, and commercial milestones, with tiered royalties in mid-single to low double-digits on net sales1234.

Novartis will handle IND-enabling studies, clinical development, manufacturing, and global commercialization12.

Unnatural Products uses an AI-enhanced platform combining molecular design, parallel synthesis, and screening to develop orally-delivered macrocyclic peptides for undruggable targets234.

This follows prior partnerships with argenx ($1.5B+), Merck ($220M), and BridgeBio346.

UNP raised $32M in Series A in 2023 and $6M seed in 201937.

Sources:

1. https://www.marketscreener.com/news/unnatural-products-in-pact-with-novartis-to-develop-macrocyclic-peptide-therapeutics-ce7e5dded089f12d

2. 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

3. https://medcitynews.com/2026/02/novartis-unnatural-products-startup-macrocyclic-peptide-undruggable-cardiovascular-nvs/

4. https://www.genengnews.com/topics/artificial-intelligence/novartis-unp-launch-up-to-1-8b-macrocyclic-peptide-partnership/

6. https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/novartis-finds-natural-partner-macrocycle-biotech-inking-17b-cardio-deal

7. https://www.bioworld.com/articles/729075-unnatural-products-signs-18b-cardio-pact-with-novartis