
The Danish company Novo Nordisk will expand its portfolio of drugs for the treatment of obesity
According to Novo Nordisk's official website, the company is primarily engaged in the development and production of drugs for the treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes, obesity, dysplasia and hemophilia. In August, 2023 it became known that the Danish company plans purchase of the Canadian company Inversago Pharma for $1.07 billion.
Inversago Pharma is dedicated to developing treatments for people with obesity, diabetes and metabolic disorders. In particular, the company is working on the development of a drug based on the cannabinoid receptor blocker INV-202, which blocks appetite. Clinical studies of INV-202 have shown a favorable safety profile as well as efficacy in the fight against obesity.
It should be noted that Inversago Pharma's drug differs from Novo Nordisk's portfolio of drugs - Wegovy and Ozempik. The active ingredient in these drugs is semaglutide, a substance that mimics the GLP-1 hormone produced in the intestines, which signals the brain when a person is full.
Wegovy has shown impressive results in the Novo Nordisk trials. A five-year follow-up of patients showed that the incidence of heart attack, stroke, or death due to cardiovascular disease in patients taking Wegovy decreased by 20 %. The company plans to present the full results of the research by the end of this year.
However, there are concerns about this drug and its predecessor, Ozempic. The regulator in Iceland reported three patients who had suicidal or self-harming thoughts when taking the drug. As a result, a review of these drugs by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) was initiated.
According to data published by the EMA in July 2023, 150 reports of a possible relationship between the development of suicidal thoughts and the use of drugs based on semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and liraglutide (Saxenda) were found.
The review is scheduled to be completed by November 2023.
References:
- https://www.novonordisk.ru/production.html
- https://vademec.ru/news/2023/08/11/novo-nordisk-za-1-mlrd-kupit-razrabotchika-preparatov-ot-ozhireniya-inversago/
- https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/novo-nordisk-acquire-obesity-drug-developer-inversago-2023-08-10/
- https://gxpnews.net/2023/08/novo-nordisk-wegovy-snizil-risk-sosudistyh-katastrof-u-licz-s-ozhireniem-na-20/
- https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/eu-probes-novos-weight-loss-drugs-reports-suicide-risks-bloomberg-news-2023-07-10/
- https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/ema-statement-ongoing-review-glp-1-receptor-agonists