Nimbus Therapeutics announced it has entered into a multi-year research collaboration and $1.3 exclusive license agreement with Eli Lilly to develop oral treatments for obesity and other metabolic diseases.

Lilly, who recently announced topline results from its phase III trial studying its oral GLP-1 therapy Orforglipron, is looking to continue developing and advancing its oral GLP-1 products with the help of Nimbus.

This marks the second time that Nimbus and Lilly have collaborated. Back in October 2022, the two companies collaborated in a research effort and also an exclusive, worldwide license agreement for the development and commercialization of small molecule activators of AMPK (a key regulator of cellular energy metabolism) in cardiometabolic diseases.²

Throughout the collaboration, Nimbus leveraged its computational approaches and structure-based drug design capabilities to help overcome the challenges of developing selective activators of specific AMPK isoforms.²

“Our team has solved a decades-old challenge in drug development with the discovery of a highly selective isoform-specific AMPK activator. This success demonstrates the power of Nimbus’ computational approach to drug discovery combined with Lilly’s deep expertise in cardiometabolic disease,” said Peter J. Tummino, Ph.D., president of research and development at Nimbus.

Like the previous collaboration, the companies are expected to apply Nimbus’ computational chemistry and structure-based drug design approach to an early-stage, small molecule discovery program that addresses a significant unmet need in obesity.¹

“We are pleased to deepen our collaboration with Nimbus, a team that has demonstrated exceptional ability to tackle complex drug discovery challenges,” said Ruth Gimeno, group vice president, diabetes and metabolic research and development at Lilly. “Working together to develop this novel obesity therapy represents an important addition to Lilly’s efforts to advance innovative treatment options for patients with metabolic disorders.”

What are the financial details of the collaboration?

Per the terms of the license agreement, Nimbus is set to receive both upfront and near-term milestone payments valued at a total of $55 million, along with being granted eligibility to receive upwards of $1.3 billion in total payments, including development, commercial, and sales milestone payments.¹ Nimbus will also be eligible to receive tiered royalties on global net sales.

“At Nimbus, computational scientists, medicinal chemists, pharmacologists and translational biologists work together to integrate AI-driven predictive models with structure-based design to develop novel small molecules with best-in-class potential. This integration has enabled us to consistently deliver optimized clinical candidates for difficult-to-drug targets,” said Tummino. “We are excited to collaborate with Lilly on another program, combining our discovery capabilities with their metabolic disease expertise to bring a much-needed new treatment to people with obesity and make a meaningful difference in their lives.”

Sources

1. Nimbus Therapeutics Announces Research Collaboration and License Agreement with Lilly for Novel Oral Obesity Treatment Nimbus Therapeutics January 6, 2026 https://www.nimbustx.com/2026/01/06/nimbus-therapeutics-announces-research-collaboration-and-license-agreement-with-lilly-for-novel-oral-obesity-treatment/
2. Nimbus Therapeutics Achieves Research Milestone in Collaboration with Lilly Nimbus Therapeutics February 25, 2025 https://www.nimbustx.com/2025/02/25/nimbus-therapeutics-achieves-research-milestone-in-collaboration-with-lilly/