Novo has signed a licensing and collaboration agreement with Swedish pharmaceutical company Nanexa worth up to 8.7 billion kroner, giving the Danish group access to technology for long-acting injections.
According to reporting by DR, the agreement was disclosed in a press release from Nanexa on Friday, September 25, 2026. The deal gives Novo a license to use Nanexa’s technology for slow release of medicines.
DR reports that Novo pays around 4.6 billion kroner upfront for the technology. Additional milestone payments bring the total value of the agreement to 8.7 billion kroner. Nanexa will also receive royalties in the low single digit percentage range if products are developed.
Reuters puts the maximum value at 1.165 billion euros. Per Reuters, about 615 million euros covers the upfront payment plus development and regulatory milestones, with further payments tied to sales milestones. The announcement came after the market closed on September 24, 2026.
What the technology does
Novo receives exclusive rights to use Nanexa’s PharmaShell drug delivery platform in up to five development programs, according to Reuters. CNBC describes PharmaShell as an ultra thin coating applied to drug particles that controls the release of active ingredients over time.
DR reports that the technology makes longer acting injections possible, so fewer injections are needed. Per the press release, dosing could become monthly or quarterly. Reuters notes the same intended shift away from more frequent injections.
The development programs cover obesity, type 2 diabetes and other cardiometabolic diseases, according to Nanexa’s statement. Reuters adds that Novo will lead global development and commercialization of products covered by the agreement.
CNBC reports that Nanexa shares more than doubled after the announcement. The Swedish company is listed in Stockholm, and readers following investing in stocks in the Nordics saw the move on September 25, 2026.
Novo is the Danish pharmaceutical group previously marketed as Novo Nordisk. As DR notes, the company changed its name in the middle of September 2026, so that it will market itself only under the name Novo going forward.
The company’s obesity and diabetes portfolio includes the injectable treatments behind Wegovy and Ozempic. CNBC reported on the Nanexa agreement in the context of the company’s obesity drug pipeline.
Neither DR nor Reuters reported a timeline for when products using the licensed technology could reach patients. Nanexa’s press release lists the therapeutic areas covered but does not name specific product candidates.
