Omeros Corp Stock Soars A Whopping 136% Pre-Market After Novo Nordisk Agrees To Buy Its Drug Candidate For Blood Disorder

Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk (NVO) on Wednesday said that it has entered into a definitive asset purchase and license agreement with Omeros Corporation (OMER) for its drug candidate Zaltenibart.

Zaltenibart is in clinical development for rare blood and kidney disorders. Under the deal, Novo Nordisk will be granted exclusive global rights to develop and commercialize Zaltenibart in all indications.

Omeros will receive $340 million in upfront and near-term milestone payments and will be eligible to receive up to a total of $2.1 billion, including commercial milestone payments, in addition to tiered royalties on net sales. Following the closing of the transaction, Novo intends to initiate a global late-stage program for Zaltenibart in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, a rare, acquired blood disorder where the body's immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys red blood cells. Omeros has already reported positive mid-stage data for Zaltenibart in treating the blood disorder.

The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2025. OMER shares soared 136% in the pre-market session. On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around OMER jumped from ‘bearish’ to ‘bullish’ territory over the past 24 hours, while message volume rose from ‘normal’ to ‘high’ levels.

“Novo Nordisk is in a strong position to build on the work done by Omeros to maximize the value of this asset and develop Zaltenibart into a differentiated and potentially best-in-class treatment approach for a number of rare blood and kidney disorders,” said Martin Holst Lange, chief scientific officer and executive vice president of Research & Development at Novo Nordisk.

Omeros CEO Gregory A. Demopulos said that the company will now focus on securing approval and commercialization of Narsoplimab this quarter for the treatment of hematopoietic stem cell transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathy. Novo, meanwhile, will also explore further development of Zaltenibart in a range of other rare blood and kidney disorders.

OMER stock rose 7% this year, while NVO shares dropped 34%. 

Read also: Eli Lilly Says Oral GLP-1 Drug Reduced Blood Sugar Levels In Two Late-Stage Trials

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