Pharma BD Deal Intelligence
Novo Nordisk acquired Montreal-based Inversago Pharma (announced 10 Aug 2023, completed September 2023) for up to USD 1.075 billion in cash — an approximately USD 600 million upfront asset-acquisition purchase price plus up to ~USD 475 million in contingent development and commercial milestones. The deal brought in Inversago's lead asset INV-202, since renamed monlunabant, an oral peripherally-acting CB1 receptor inverse agonist, extending Novo's obesity and metabolic-disease pipeline beyond its GLP-1 franchise. In a Phase 2a obesity trial (243 patients, 16 weeks; reported 20 Sep 2024) all doses achieved statistically significant weight loss, with the 10 mg dose producing a 7.1 kg reduction versus 0.7 kg on placebo; gastrointestinal adverse events and dose-dependent mild-to-moderate neuropsychiatric effects (anxiety, irritability, sleep disturbance) were observed, echoing the historic liability of the CB1-blocker class. Novo planned a larger Phase 2b obesity study to begin in 2025.