BioCentury
ARTICLE | Deals

In NLRP3 deal with Novo, Ventus fences off some indications for itself

‘Pragmatic’ deal gives Novo set of cardiometabolic, kidney and liver diseases, while Versant-backed Ventus keeps indications within biotech’s scope

September 29, 2022 7:48 PM UTC

Ventus has partnered with Novo to develop its preclinical NLRP3 inhibitor in certain indications the biotech believes are best suited to a pharma of that size, while retaining control of the program to treat diseases the biotech can pursue on its own.

The well-funded biotech will receive $70 million up front from Novo Nordisk A/S (CSE:NOVO B; NYSE:NVO) in a deal that allows the pharma to develop a set of peripherally restricted NLRP3 inhibitors, including lead molecule VENT-01, to treat a basket of indications including chronic kidney disease, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and cardiometabolic disorders such as atherosclerosis...