Unnatural Products Announces Licensing Agreement with Novartis to Develop Macrocyclic Peptide Therapeutics

Collaboration will harness UNP’s AI enhanced macrocycle platform to drug historically “undruggable” targets

SANTA CRUZ, Calif., Feb. 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Unnatural Products, Inc. (UNP), a biotech developing orally-delivered macrocyclic peptides to address previously undruggable targets, today announced a research collaboration and licensing agreement with Novartis on an undisclosed program.

The collaboration brings together UNP’s AI-enhanced macrocycle platform and Novartis’ global development and commercialization capabilities to generate next-generation therapeutics with potential applications in the cardiovascular disease area. Novartis will assume responsibility for IND-enabling studies and all subsequent clinical development, manufacturing, and global commercialization of products emerging from the collaboration.

Macrocyclic peptides represent a powerful therapeutic class that merges the selectivity and potency of biologics with the flexibility and drug-like properties of small molecules, enabling access to previously undruggable targets. UNP’s integrated discovery engine combines AI-guided molecular design, massively parallel synthesis, and direct-to-biology screening to rapidly generate highly potent and selective macrocycles suited for both oral and injectable modalities.

“This collaboration validates the strength of our program and highlights the ability of UNP’s platform to deliver differentiated macrocyclic therapeutics for high-value biological targets for chronic diseases with high unmet need,” said Cameron Pye, Ph.D., CEO and Co-Founder, Unnatural Products. “Novartis has built a highly respected engine in cardiovascular innovation, and we are excited to collaborate with them to unlock the full therapeutic potential of this asset. Together, we have the opportunity to advance medicines that could meaningfully improve patient lives across various diseases.”

“Advances in macrocyclic chemistry are opening entirely new avenues in drug discovery, allowing us to engage targets at a dose and with a pharmacological versatility not possible with many other approaches,” said Muneto Mogi, Global Head of Global Discovery Chemistry, Biomedical Research, Novartis. “We believe this collaboration positions both organizations to accelerate the development of new therapies with strong scientific and clinical potential. We look forward to working together to bring innovative medicines to patients.”

Under the terms of the agreement, UNP will receive up to $100m in upfront and pre-IND milestone payments and up to $1.7bn in development, regulatory, and commercial milestones. UNP is also eligible to receive tiered royalties mid-single up to low double-digits on annual net sales.

About Unnatural Products, Inc.
Unnatural Products, Inc. (UNP), a California biotech company, has developed a platform that addresses the complexities of medicinal chemistry in the macrocycle space through a combination of parallel experimentation and machine learning. Founded by macrocycle pioneers whose academic work uncovered how Nature’s macrocycles work, UNP is developing a portfolio of therapeutic macrocycles against high-value and traditionally difficult-to-drug targets. For more information, visit www.unnaturalproducts.com.

For partnering opportunities, email: contact@unnaturalproducts.com.

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