OTR Therapeutics Announces Collaboration with Zealand Pharma to Develop Metabolic Disease Treatments

OTR Therapeutics announced a strategic collaboration and licensing agreement with Zealand Pharma for the development of novel treatments for metabolic diseases.¹

According to the agreement, OTR will provide an upfront payment of $20 million (with the option for increases if certain conditions are met). This will provide Zealand with access to OTR’s proprietary R&D platform and connections to regional R&D networks.

In a press release, Zealand Pharma’s chief scientific officer Utpal Singh, PhD, said, “We are excited to partner with OTR Therapeutics. The multi-program collaboration will expand our metabolic health pipeline into oral small-molecule therapeutics for targets where we have deep biological expertise, complementing our strong peptide R&D platform. This partnership is an early testament - with more to follow - 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. We are confident the partnership with OTR Therapeutics will be highly productive in achieving our shared goal of expanding treatment options for people living with metabolic diseases."

Based upon the completion of pre-determined milestones, the deal may potentially be worth $2.5 billion.

"We are thrilled to partner with Zealand Pharma, a company renowned for its legacy and expertise in metabolic diseases," said Zhui Chen, Ph.D., founder and chief executive officer of OTR Therapeutics. "This collaboration represents a strong endorsement of our proprietary platform and strategic vision, and our proven ability to drive innovation and deliver quality and speed in execution. 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."

This is the latest move by OTR to expand its business.

Earlier in December, the company announced the completion of $100 million in Series A financing.² True Light Capital, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Temasek, LAV, Pfizer Ventures, and Sirona Captial, closed the initial funding deal back in June, 2025.

OTR stated that the funding will be used to advance therapies in immunology & inflammation, oncology, and other disease areas.

In a press release issued at the time, Chen said, “The rapidly evolving global pharmaceutical R&D landscape demands greater novelty, speed and efficiency. At OTR, we aim to build a next-generation biotech model that delivers unprecedented R&D and capital efficiency. It enables us to stay agile while remaining rigorously focused on propelling novel, differentiated drug candidates through global clinical translation in a disciplined and efficient manner. We are grateful for the strong support from our investors and their confidence in our vision and capability to deliver transformative therapies for patients."

LAV managing director Yi Shi added, “We believe the biopharma industry is shifting towards more capital-efficient and specialized R&D models. OTR Therapeutics is at the forefront of this evolution, demonstrating how a focused, integrated framework can expedite the journey of translating early-stage innovation into global clinical development."

In the same press release, Michael Baran, partner at Pfizer Ventures, also said, "Pfizer Ventures identifies and invests in emerging companies who are developing innovative medicines and technologies that have the potential to shape the future of our industry. To this end, we're pleased to be able to support OTR Therapeutics as it scales its R&D capabilities and builds a portfolio of potentially transformative therapies."

Sources

1. OTR Therapeutics and Zealand Pharma enter multi-program strategic collaboration and license agreement to develop novel therapeutics for metabolic diseases. OTR Therapeutics. December 11, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/otr-therapeutics-and-zealand-pharma-enter-multi-program-strategic-collaboration-and-license-agreement-to-develop-novel-therapeutics-for-metabolic-diseases-302638644.html
2. OTR Therapeutics Raises $100 Million in Series A Financing to Advance Early Innovation into Global Transformative Therapies. OTR Therapeutics. December 4, 2025. Accessed December 11, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/otr-therapeutics-raises-100-million-in-series-a-financing-to-advance-early-innovation-into-global-transformative-therapies-302633256.html