Perspective - November 2001
 
International foundation to help combat diabetes
On 13 November Novo Nordisk announced a decision to establish an international foundation - the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) - with the purpose of supporting projects that will improve diabetes care in developing countries.
 
Financial highlights
Sales in the first nine months of 2001 increased by 16%. Sales growth was realised within all key therapeutic areas.

Performance for the first nine months of 2001
 
A new psychological understanding of diabetes
Emotional support for diabetes patients is the key to more effective management of the disease.
 
Increased commitment
New unit to secure leadership in protein delivery.
 
Newsbits
Inhalation of insulin.
Novo Nordisk insulin saves lives in intensive care unit.
Reduction of the share capital.
Novation contact
 
 


Newsbits

 

Inhalation of insulin

On 20 November 2001 Novo Nordisk and Aradigm Corporation announced the completion of a Phase 2b clinical trial with the AERx® insulin Diabetes Management System (iDMS) that shows that the product may be successfully used to treat Type 2 diabetes patients with insulin delivered via the pulmonary route. It was also announced that Novo Nordisk has increased its commitment to invest in Aradigm Corporation with a new share investment agreement of up to USD 25 million in common stock.
"This recently completed study is significant as it demonstrates that the AERx® iDMS appears to be a safe and efficacious product," said Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, executive vice president and chief science officer at Novo Nordisk. "It is our goal to improve the quality of life for people with diabetes, and we believe the AERx® iDMS will help us accomplish this by providing a convenient way to dose insulin."
The new investment agreement is in addition to an agreement announced on 25 October 2001 in which Novo Nordisk purchased USD 20 million in Aradigm common stock.
For more information, see www.novonordisk.com

 

 

Novo Nordisk insulin saves lives in intensive care unit

Tight control of blood glucose levels with insulin therapy significantly reduces the rate of death and complications in intensive care unit (ICU) patients, according to findings Belgian researchers reported on 8 November in the New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers, led by professor Greet Van den Berghe from University Hospital Gasthuisberg in Leuven, Belgium, found that, compared to standard therapy with insulin, intensive insulin therapy reduced ICU mortality by 42%.
It has long been known that critically ill patients exhibit high levels of blood glucose (hyperglycaemia) and insulin resistance. However, currently there is no consensus on the optimal level of glycaemic control in ICU patients; traditionally, most ICUs in the US and Europe administer insulin therapy only when blood glucose levels exceed 12 mmol/l (216 mg/dl), about twice the normal level. The researchers wanted to test whether maintaining blood glucose levels closer to normal would benefit ICU patients.
It certainly did: an interim safety analysis revealed such a marked and significant benefit of the intensive insulin therapy that the study was discontinued for ethical reasons.
"Few, if any, intensive care interventions have improved outcomes to the extent that intensive insulin therapy did in these patients," said Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, Novo Nordisk's chief science officer.
Novo Nordisk supported the study with an unrestricted grant. "As the leader in insulin therapy Novo Nordisk has over the years supported a number of research initiatives in the field of better diabetes control. It is encouraging to see that intensive use of insulin is capable of saving lives beyond diabetes. At the same time it can save precious healthcare resources," said Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen.
The patients in the study received a Novo Nordisk human insulin product, Actrapid® HM (known as Novolin® in the US).
For further information visit www.nejm.com or www.novonordisk.com.

Reduction of the share capital
On 24 August 2001, Novo Nordisk announced that the company had completed the planned reduction of its share capital as approved at the Annual General Meeting in March 2001. Following cancellation of nominally DKK 45 million of the company's own shares, the nominal value of the total share capital is DKK 709,388,320, divided into A share capital of nominally DKK 107,487,200 and B share capital of nominally DKK 601,901,120. At the end of the third quarter of 2001, Novo Nordisk A/S and its wholly owned affiliates held 9,011,205 of the company's own B shares corresponding to a total nominal value of DKK 18,022,410 and 2.54% of the total share capital.

Novation contract
In September 2001, Novo Nordisk was awarded a contract to supply its full US line of diabetes and growth hormone products to Novation customers. Novation is the general purchasing organisation for Voluntary Hospitals of America (VHA), University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) and HealthCare Purchasing Partners International (HPPI). Novation manages more than USD 17 billion in annual purchases for its members. For more information on Novation, go to http://www.novationco.com.

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