Novo Nordisk Discontinues Inflammatory Disease R & D For Diabetes, Obesity Treatments
By Cyndi Root
Novo Nordisk announced in a press release that it has decided to discontinue its focus on inflammatory disorders and increase its efforts in diabetes and obesity. The company’s decision follows its discontinuation of its anti-IL-20 compound for rheumatoid arthritis after a Phase IIb trial proved disappointing. Novo Nordisk will finalize that program and others in the next six months, possibly seeking buyers for some compounds in development.
Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, EVP and CSO of Novo Nordisk, said, “The discontinuation of anti-IL-20 delays our earliest possible entrance into the market for anti-inflammatory therapeutics to the late 2020s. Significant unmet opportunities remain within diabetes, including prevention, obesity, and diabetes complications. We have therefore decided to further increase our R&D efforts within diabetes, which is our main business area.”
Inflammatory Disease Discontinuation
The mid-sized Danish pharmaceutical company stated that the decision to jettison the inflammatory disease division followed an internal review, spurred by the failure of the anti-IL-20 compound. Clinical trials will be closed, but patients will be followed according to the study designs and referred to personal physicians for treatment. The company says that 400 employees are affected by the decision and more than half are expected to find other positions within the company. The move will cost the company about 700 million Danish kroner ($123 million).
Diabetes Business
In August 2014, Novo Nordisk announced sales growth driven by Levemir and Victoza, diabetes treatments. The company is pleased with the performance of Tresiba (insulin degludec), a new once-daily, long-acting insulin first approved in Japan. In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has thus far refused to approve the drug, citing concerns about cardiovascular outcomes. The company says that DEVOTE, the cardiovascular outcomes trial for Tresiba, is progressing and the company hopes to provide an interim analysis to the FDA in the first half of 2015. Another diabetes agent, Xultophy, recently received a positive opinion from the EU regulatory authorities.
The company updated its pipeline on August 7, 2014. It has completed regulatory filings for Tresiba in type 1 and 2 diabetes, Ryzodeg for type 1 and 2 diabetes, Xultophy (IDegLira) for type 2 diabetes, and Liraglutide for obesity. Currently, Novo Nordisk has 17 other compounds in development in diabetes, obesity, hemophilia, growth disorders, and inflammatory diseases.