At a Glance
- Companies: Zealand Pharma, OTR Therapeutics
- Location: Copenhagen, Denmark; Shanghai, China
- Deal value: Up to $2.5 billion (mostly commercial milestones)
- Focus area: Metabolic diseases (obesity, metabolic health)
- Next steps: Co-discovery, preclinical, clinical development, global commercialization
What happened?
Zealand Pharma and OTR Therapeutics have entered a multi-program strategic collaboration and license agreement to co-develop novel therapeutics for metabolic diseases. Zealand Pharma will focus on clinical development and global commercialization, while OTR Therapeutics will lead research and preclinical development using its proprietary oral small-molecule platform.
Why does it matter?
This partnership expands the pipeline for next-generation metabolic disease therapies, combining Zealand Pharma’s expertise in obesity and metabolic health with OTR Therapeutics’ innovative drug discovery platform. The collaboration could significantly broaden treatment options for millions of people living with metabolic disorders.
Who’s behind it?
Zealand Pharma, headquartered in Copenhagen, is a leading biotech company in metabolic health with over 25 years of peptide R&D experience. OTR Therapeutics, based in Shanghai, specialises in transforming early-stage innovations into globally impactful therapies, with a focus on oncology, immunology, and cardiometabolic diseases.
How was it achieved?
OTR Therapeutics will leverage its proprietary discovery platform to lead research and preclinical development, while Zealand Pharma will handle clinical development, regulatory submissions, and commercialisation worldwide. The agreement includes an upfront payment of $20 million (potentially rising to $30 million), milestone payments up to $2.5 billion, and tiered royalties on global sales.
What’s next?
The companies will present their comprehensive strategy at Zealand Pharma’s Capital Markets Day and move forward with co-discovery and preclinical development. Future steps include clinical trials, regulatory submissions, and global commercialisation of successful candidates.
What are people saying?
Utpal Singh, Chief Scientific Officer at Zealand Pharma: “This partnership is an early testament to the execution of our updated strategy to further strengthen and evolve our platform, broadening treatment options for people living with overweight, obesity, and other metabolic diseases.”
Zhui Chen, Founder and CEO of OTR Therapeutics: “By combining our strengths in innovative drug discovery and development with Zealand Pharma’s deep expertise in the disease area, we are well positioned to discover potentially transformative therapies for patients worldwide.”