by Phil Taylor |
Aug 23, 2018 9:22am
Novo Nordisk has signed another deal intended to keep it at the
top of the tree when it comes to developing new diabetes and obesity drugs.
The Danish drugmaker has agreed to an early-stage R&D
collaboration with German biotech Evotec to develop small-molecule drugs for
diabetes, obesity and related healthcare issues such as nonalcoholic
steatohepatitis (NASH), cardiovascular diseases and diabetic kidney disease.
Evotec will come up with preclinical compounds and Novo Nordisk
will then use the German company’s INDiGO platform—acquired along with Aptuit
in a $300 million deal last year—that is
used to rapidly select candidates for clinical trials. No financial
details of the alliance were disclosed.
Novo Nordisk has been a major force in diabetes for many years
thanks to its insulin products and other antidiabetic agents like GLP-1 agonist
Victoza, and, given its heavy reliance on these products, has been actively
seeking partnerships of late to keep it at the forefront of the sector.
Earlier this month Novo Nordisk bought U.K. start-up Ziylo to claim rights to its R&D
in the area of glucose responsive insulin drugs that can help control blood
sugar without raising the risk of hypoglycemic episodes, the main risk
associated with insulin therapy. The insulin could circulate in the
bloodstream in an inert form, only to activate when it detects a rise in
glucose levels.
It’s also been bulking up its stem cell expertise in the hope of
developing a new generation of cell-based therapies for Type 1 diabetes that
can replace or protect the insulin-producing beta cells that are attacked by
the immune system. Meanwhile, it’s been moving sideways into diabetes-related
indications like obesity—spearheaded by once-weekly injectable and oral
formulations of GLP-1 drug semaglutide—as well as other diseases such as kidney dysfunction.
Those deals came after Novo Nordisk missed out on a chance to
acquire Ablynx after the company opted
instead for a larger takeover offer from rival Sanofi.
Evotec Chief Operating Officer Mario Polywka, D.Phil., said the
two partners form a “powerful combination” given Novo Nordisk’s track record in
diabetes and obesity and his company’s drug discovery expertise.
https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/novo-nordisk-adds-to-diabetes-pipeline-evotec-deal?itx[idio]=8812325&ito=792&itq=184b5768-54a8-4ebe-a672-1f3f5c3171aa
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