Lexicon Pharmaceuticals said it earned a $10 million milestone payment from Novo Nordisk for achieving a patient dosing milestone tied to the development of LX9851, an oral obesity treatment.
The milestone is the third under a broader collaboration agreement signed in 2025, bringing Lexicon’s total payments to $75 million of a potential $1 billion package that includes upfront, development, regulatory and commercial milestones. Lexicon retains tiered royalties on future net sales of the drug.
Novo Nordisk holds an exclusive worldwide license to develop, manufacture and commercialize LX9851 across all indications. The drug targets ACSL5, a metabolic pathway involved in fat accumulation and energy balance, and is being evaluated for obesity and related metabolic disorders.
The Phase 1 clinical program, initiated by Novo Nordisk in March 2026, is assessing safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of single and multiple ascending doses of LX9851 versus placebo in overweight or obese adults. Completion is expected in the first quarter of 2027.
Preclinical data presented at Obesity Week 2024 showed that combining LX9851 with semaglutide reduced weight, food intake and fat mass more effectively than semaglutide alone in animal studies. Lexicon’s pipeline also includes programs in neuropathic pain, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and other cardiometabolic indications.
