Novo Nordisk A/S

Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen to Step Down After Eight-Year Tenure

7 days ago

• Novo Nordisk has announced that CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen will step down following a mutual agreement with the board, ending his eight-year leadership during which the company established itself as a pioneer in obesity treatment. • The leadership change comes amid market challenges including a declining share price and increased competition from Eli Lilly's tirzepatide, which recently outperformed Novo's semaglutide in a head-to-head weight loss trial. • Former CEO Lars Rebien Sørensen, current Novo Nordisk Foundation chair, will begin attending board meetings immediately as an observer with plans for formal board nomination in 2026, signaling the foundation's push for greater influence.

GSK Acquires Efimosfermin Alfa from Boston Pharmaceuticals in $2 Billion Deal for Liver Disease Treatment

9 days ago

• GSK has agreed to acquire efimosfermin alfa, a phase III-ready liver disease drug, from Boston Pharmaceuticals in a deal worth up to $2 billion. • The acquisition includes an upfront payment of $1.2 billion, with potential for additional success-based milestone payments totaling $800 million. • This strategic move strengthens GSK's pharmaceutical portfolio in the liver disease therapeutic area, addressing significant unmet medical needs.

Novo Holdings Invests in SCHOTT Poonawalla to Strengthen Injectable Drug Packaging Capabilities in India

9 days ago

• Novo Holdings has made a strategic investment in SCHOTT Poonawalla, India's leading provider of injectable drug containment solutions, alongside TPG Growth to accelerate innovation and expansion. • SCHOTT Poonawalla, a joint venture between SCHOTT Pharma AG and Serum Institute of India, operates three manufacturing facilities with an annual capacity exceeding 3 billion units and serves over 100 pharmaceutical customers. • This marks Novo Holdings' first investment in India's medtech manufacturing sector, reinforcing its commitment to strengthening pharmaceutical infrastructure and supply chain resilience in Asia.

Novo Nordisk's Once-Weekly Sogroya Shows Efficacy in Children with Growth Disorders in Phase 3 Trial

11 days ago

• The REAL8 phase 3 trial demonstrated that once-weekly Sogroya (somapacitan) was non-inferior to daily growth hormone in children with growth disorders, with superior results in Noonan syndrome patients. • Sogroya's weekly administration could significantly improve treatment adherence, addressing a critical challenge where missed daily injections can result in a 6.1 cm height difference over three years. • Based on positive REAL8 and REAL9 trial data, Novo Nordisk has submitted regulatory applications for Sogroya in three pediatric indications to both EU and US authorities in April 2025.

Sirius Therapeutics Secures $50 Million in Series B2 Funding to Advance siRNA Therapies for Cardiometabolic Diseases

14 days ago

• Sirius Therapeutics has completed a nearly $50 million Series B2 financing round led by a corporate venture capital firm, with participation from new investor BioTrack Capital and existing investors. • The funding will accelerate clinical development of the company's siRNA therapeutics for cardiometabolic disorders, including SRSD107, which is poised to begin Phase 2 trials in Europe for thromboembolic disorders. • Since its founding in 2021, Sirius has established innovation centers in the US and China, advanced three programs to clinical stage, and raised approximately $150 million in total funding.

Shionogi to Acquire Japan Tobacco's Pharmaceutical Subsidiaries for $1.1 Billion

14 days ago

• Shionogi & Co. plans to acquire Japan Tobacco's pharmaceutical subsidiaries Torii Pharmaceutical and Akros Pharma for ¥160 billion ($1.1 billion) to strengthen its global R&D capabilities. • The acquisition, negotiated since early 2024, will proceed through a tender offer beginning June 18 with a share price of ¥6,350 to acquire at least 11.89% of the minority stake. • This strategic move represents significant consolidation in the Japanese pharmaceutical sector and expands Shionogi's market presence amid increasing global competition.

PTC518 Shows Promise in Huntington's Disease: Phase 2 Trial Meets Primary Endpoint

17 days ago

• PTC Therapeutics' investigational drug PTC518 demonstrated statistically significant reductions in Huntingtin protein levels in Phase 2 PIVOT-HD study, with 23-39% decreases observed across different dosages over 12 months. • The oral small molecule splicing modifier showed dose-dependent clinical benefits in Stage 2 patients on key measures including the Composite Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale, with promising 24-month data also reported. • Based on these results, PTC Therapeutics plans to pursue an accelerated approval pathway with the FDA, potentially positioning PTC518 to become the first disease-modifying therapy for Huntington's disease.

Smart Drug Delivery Systems Market Poised for 17% Growth as Chronic Disease Management Evolves

a month ago

• The global smart drug delivery systems market reached $12 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 17% through 2034, driven by rising chronic disease prevalence and technological advancements. • Connected inhalers are gaining significant traction for respiratory and neurological conditions, with recent partnerships like Modivcare and Tenovi deploying Adherium's Hailie smart inhalers to improve patient care. • Injectable smart delivery systems dominated the market with a $7.6 billion valuation in 2024, while North America leads regional adoption with $5.5 billion in revenue, expected to reach $22.2 billion by 2034.

Trump's Executive Order Delays Medicare Drug Price Negotiations, Sparking Industry and Policy Debate

a month ago

• President Trump signed an executive order extending the exemption period for small-molecule drugs from Medicare price negotiations by four years, a move criticized by advocacy groups as favoring pharmaceutical industry interests. • The order aims to address what the administration calls the "pill penalty" - the current policy where small-molecule drugs (90% of medications) face negotiations after 9 years while biologics have longer exemption periods. • The Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, established under the Biden administration, had already achieved price reductions of 38-79% on 10 high-cost drugs with projected savings of $6 billion if applied in 2023.

Sanofi Advances Respiratory Pipeline with Promising Amlitelimab Data in Heterogeneous Inflammatory Asthma

a month ago

• Sanofi's amlitelimab demonstrated clinically meaningful efficacy in heterogeneous inflammatory asthma, showing over 70% reduction in exacerbations in patients with specific biomarkers at week 60 of the TIDE-Asthma phase 2 study. • The company is expanding its respiratory portfolio with lunsekimig now targeting chronic rhinosinusitis and COPD alongside asthma, with phase 2 readouts anticipated in 2026. • Itepekimab, developed in partnership with Regeneron, is broadening its clinical program beyond COPD into chronic rhinosinusitis, with phase 3 readouts in COPD expected in H2 2025.

Novo Nordisk Launches Home Delivery Service for Wegovy at $499 Monthly for Cash-Paying Patients

3 months ago

• Novo Nordisk introduces NovoCare Pharmacy, a direct-to-patient delivery service offering all Wegovy dose strengths at $499 per month for cash-paying and eligible commercially insured patients without coverage. • The launch comes as Wegovy supply stabilizes, with FDA confirming Novo Nordisk can now meet market demand following previous shortages that limited new prescriptions since 2022. • Currently, over 55 million Americans have coverage for weight management medicines, with 90% of insured Wegovy patients paying $0-$25 monthly for their prescriptions.

Hengrui Pharma's HRS9531 Shows Promising Weight Loss in Phase 2 Obesity Trial

5 months ago

• Hengrui Pharmaceuticals and Kailera Therapeutics reported positive Phase 2 results for HRS9531, a GLP-1/GIP receptor dual agonist, in overweight or obese adults. • Participants receiving the 8 mg dose of HRS9531 achieved a statistically significant 21.1% placebo-adjusted mean weight loss at 36 weeks. • The trial demonstrated a favorable safety profile, with most adverse events being mild and gastrointestinal-related during dose titration. • Hengrui is advancing HRS9531 into Phase 3 clinical trials for obesity and type 2 diabetes in China, with Kailera developing it globally as KAI-9531.

Eli Lilly's Zepbound Demonstrates Superior Weight Loss Compared to Novo Nordisk's Wegovy in Head-to-Head Trial

6 months ago

• Eli Lilly's Zepbound (tirzepatide) led to a 20.2% average weight loss, significantly outperforming Wegovy (semaglutide) at 13.7% in a 72-week clinical trial. • The SURMOUNT-5 trial included overweight or obese adults without diabetes, showing Zepbound users experienced 47% more relative weight loss than Wegovy users. • Zepbound, a dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist, helped 31.6% of participants achieve at least 25% body weight loss, compared to 16.1% with Wegovy. • The study's findings may influence treatment choices, with Zepbound potentially becoming a preferred option for greater weight loss outcomes, pending further data on tolerability.

Ziftomenib Shows Promise in AML: Kura Oncology and Kyowa Kirin Advance to Phase 3 Trials

6 months ago

• Kura Oncology and Kyowa Kirin's ziftomenib demonstrates statistically significant efficacy in Phase 2 trial for relapsed/refractory NPM1-mutant acute myeloid leukemia (AML). • The companies plan to submit a New Drug Application (NDA) to the FDA in the second quarter of 2025, seeking approval for ziftomenib in R/R NPM1-m AML. • Phase 3 trials are set to begin in the second half of 2025, evaluating ziftomenib in combination with intensive and non-intensive chemotherapy regimens for newly diagnosed AML. • FDA feedback supports potential accelerated approval pathways in both intensive and non-intensive treatment settings, based on MRD negative CR and CR endpoints.