Eli Lilly enters $1.3 billion partnership with Superluminal to use AI in obesity drug discovery

Key Takeaways:

• Eli Lilly has signed a $1.3 billion agreement with Superluminal Medicines to develop new obesity and cardiometabolic drugs using artificial intelligence.
• The collaboration focuses on G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), a key but underexplored target class for small-molecule therapies.
• Superluminal will receive upfront and milestone payments, equity investment, and royalties, while retaining ownership of its lead candidate for rare genetic obesity.

Expanding Lilly’s reach in obesity care

Eli Lilly, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, has signed a $1.3 billion agreement with Superluminal Medicines, a privately held biotechnology company based in Boston. The deal aims to accelerate the discovery and development of small-molecule drugs for obesity and cardiometabolic diseases using Superluminal’s artificial intelligence (AI)-driven platform.

The global obesity treatment market is forecast to reach an estimated value of $150 billion within the next decade. Lilly already commands a dominant position in this field through its blockbuster injectable therapies, but the company is seeking to expand its influence further by investing in next-generation treatments, acquisitions, and strategic partnerships.

Details of the agreement

Under the terms of the collaboration, Lilly will receive exclusive rights to develop and commercialise drug candidates identified through Superluminal’s AI platform. This platform targets G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) – a large and diverse family of proteins that regulate essential physiological processes including metabolism, immune responses, and cell growth.

Superluminal confirmed that, as part of the agreement, it will be eligible to receive upfront and milestone-based payments, equity investment, and tiered royalties on future net sales.

The scientific focus: GPCRs and obesity

Drug developers are increasingly turning their attention to GPCRs as potential targets for small-molecule therapies for obesity. Unlike injectable treatments such as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, orally active small molecules could offer greater accessibility and convenience.

“GPCRs have established themselves as very important targets in the obesity and cardiometabolic landscape, but we’re at the very early stages of exploration of the target class,” said Superluminal Chief Executive Officer Cony D’Cruz in an interview with Reuters.

This area is drawing strong interest across the sector. Danish rival Novo Nordisk announced a $2.2 billion deal in May with US biotechnology company Septerna to pursue GPCR-directed small-molecule therapies.

Lilly’s strategy beyond GLP-1 medicines

Lilly has benefited significantly from the widespread demand for GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines, including its high-profile drug Zepbound, which competes with Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy. The company is also developing orforglipron, an oral GLP-1 therapy, though investor confidence in this candidate has so far been muted.

Last year, Lilly partnered with Hong Kong-listed biotechnology company Laekna to create an experimental obesity therapy designed to support weight reduction while preserving lean muscle mass.

Superluminal’s pipeline and investors

While the new partnership with Lilly covers drug candidates emerging from its AI-guided discovery platform, Superluminal continues to develop its own wholly owned lead candidate. This investigational therapy targets the melanocortin 4 receptor, a protein implicated in rare, genetic forms of obesity. The company expects to advance this programme into human trials by the fourth quarter of next year. Importantly, this candidate is not included in the deal with Lilly.

Superluminal has secured investment from several high-profile backers, including RA Capital Management, Insight Partners, and NVentures, the venture capital arm of technology giant NVIDIA.