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Novo Nordisk announced today the official opening of the company’s new inflammation research centre based in Seattle.

The research centre will leverage Novo Nordisk’s strong knowledge within the field of proteins, in order to further build the company’s clinical pipeline of products for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases. Novo Nordisk currently has four projects in early clinical development within the field of inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. 

“Seattle is a biotech centre of excellence, and placing our inflammation research centre here allows us to attract top scientists and collaborate with high quality partners,” said Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, Novo Nordisk’s chief science officer. “By investing in early stage research we hope to find the underlying causes for different inflammatory conditions and develop new treatments for these diseases.”

Novo Nordisk announced its plans to create a new research centre in Seattle in August 2008 and has assembled a highly skilled management team led by Don Foster, vice president of inflammation. It is planned that the centre will have a total of 60 employees by the end of 2010. Research activities in Seattle will complement continuing biopharmaceutical research activities in Novo Nordisk’s research sites in Måløv in Denmark and Beijing in China. 

About chronic inflammatory disease

The immune system normally protects against infections by, for example, virus or bacteria. Chronic inflammatory diseases occur when the body’s immune system reacts inappropriately against its own tissues and gradually damages organs. Examples of chronic inflammatory diseases include rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that over 8.5 million people in the US suffer from inflammatory diseases, with a similar number estimated in Europe.

Novo Nordisk is a healthcare company and a world leader in diabetes care. In addition, Novo Nordisk has a leading position within areas such as haemostasis management, growth hormone therapy and hormone replacement therapy. Novo Nordisk manufactures and markets pharmaceutical products and services that make a significant difference to patients, the medical profession and society. With headquarters in Denmark, Novo Nordisk employs more than 27,900 employees in 81 countries, and markets its products in 179 countries. Novo Nordisk’s B shares are listed on the stock exchanges in Copenhagen and London. Its ADRs are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ‘NVO’. For more information, visit novonordisk.com.

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