Eli Lilly’s quest for obesity drugs leads to $1B bet on dark genome

Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) has inked a deal worth up to $1B with HAYA Therapeutics, a biotech focused on a cell information processing unit known as the dark genome, to develop drugs for metabolic diseases, including obesity.

The Swiss biotech announced the multi-year partnership on Tuesday, noting that it is eligible to receive up to $1B in pre-clinical, clinical, and commercial milestone payments, as well as sales-related royalties from Eli Lilly (LLY) as part of the deal.

Additionally, the U.S. pharma giant is set to provide it with an upfront payment, including an equity investment.

Haya develops drugs targeting regulatory RNAs derived from the dark genome.

Indiana-based LLY has an expansive obesity pipeline led by its FDA-approved dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist, tirzepatide, which is approved for weight loss diabetes and is under investigation for multiple metabolic diseases.

Its partnership with Haya aims to identify genome-derived RNA-based drug targets to address obesity and related metabolic conditions.

LLY’s main rival in the weight loss space, Novo Nordisk (NVO), has also ramped up dealmaking in recent months to maintain its market dominance. In 2023, the Danish pharma giant acquired Embark Biotech, a smaller domestic rival focused on cardiometabolic diseases, in a deal worth up to €470M (~$514M).