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DIABETES CAN KILL…
...WHEN YOU SUFFER FROM OBESITY
OBESITY: In a few months, a drug will be launched which has the effect that overweight patients eat less. Novo Nordisk – the world leader in diabetes research – has found the hormone which controls appetite.
When you know that overweight and obesity is a trigger factor for developing type 2 diabetes, it’s natural for a leader in diabetes research and treatment to research in obesity – and how to avoid it. This is precisely what Danish healthcare company Novo Nordisk, a world leader in diabetes treatment, has done. In the near future, Novo Nordisk will launch a diabetes drug which in addition to lowering blood glucose, reduces appetite and so leads to weight loss.
The drug Liraglutide is based on a natural hormone, GLP-1. The hormone is constantly synthesised in all humans and stimulates the creation of insulin, the hormone which diabetes patients make too little of. Liraglutide is on its way through a phase III clinical study involving approx. 4,000 patients around the world. Results from previous studies have been very positive.
A killer disease
“The most interesting things about Liraglutide seem to be the absence of side effects, including hypoglycaemia,” says Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, group research director of Novo Nordisk. “GLP-1 has a specific effect on the appetite centre in the brain. The test volunteers quite simply had less desire to eat.” There are currently a number of insulin drugs in tablet form which patients suffering from type 2 diabetes can take. But most have a number of side effects which often cause patients to avoid following the prescribed treatment.
“If patients do not follow the prescribed medication and diet, and do not live a generally healthier lifestyle, then diabetes is a disease that kills. And for many, there are a number of consequences in the last years of life which are very unpleasant. Blindness, amputations and so on. Because of that, we will never cease our research efforts until we are able not only to treat the disease, but cure it completely.”
A DRUG FOR WEIGHT LOSS IS NOW ON THE WAY
Obesity
Around 200 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with diabetes. Of these, 10% have type 1 diabetes which requires insulin injections from the outset. Production of insulin and various injection concepts are among the things which have made Novo Nordisk a world leader in diabetes care. But although type 1 diabetes is a serious and lifelong condition, it is type 2 diabetes, known as age-onset diabetes, which is the most serious problem for society.
“The disease is spreading with alarming speed,” says Krogsgaard Thomsen. “The numbers are increasing because people all over the world are doing increasingly more sedentary work, and eat increasingly more – especially more fat. In the USA alone it is estimated that 35% of women are not only overweight, but obese. And obesity causes diabetes. It is that simple.”
Research Director Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen: “Novo will never cease its research efforts until we are able not only to treat diabetes, but cure it completely.”
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Of all private sector companies in Denmark, Novo Nordisk spends the most money on research. Around USD 1 bn annually is invested in R&D, corresponding to 50% of all the research funding the Danish state gives to universities and institutes of higher education. To Novo Nordisk, it is approx. 16% of the company’s turnover. Of the USD 1 bn, two thirds is used for diabetes research while the rest is used for research in haemostasis management, cancer and inflammatory diseases.
“Today and in the future, significant amounts will also be spent on stem cell research where the objective is complete control of the process that causes diabetes,” says Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen. “We hope and believe that this research can lead to a technology where we can cure diabetes through cell transplantation. It is fundamental research with a very long term objective. But in about 15 years, I hope that we can be close to achieving it.” As Denmark’s leading healthcare company, Novo Nordisk feels an extra responsibility regarding research.
“If it was only about earning money for our shareholders, I think we would lose our trustworthiness with both collaboration partners and customers – and ultimately with patients,” says Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen. “We must be able to look beyond the end of our nose and constantly ensure we are at the cutting edge of research, even when it does not produce results here and now.” A good example is the company’s drug NovoSeven, which a few years ago transformed the lives of people suffering from serious haemophilia disorders. According to Krogsgaard Thomsen, it was an enthusiastic and persevering research scientist who several years ago had an idea which could lead to an efficient drug for haemophilia patients who produce antibodies against traditional haemophilia drugs.
“Although few at Novo really believed in the idea, the management at the time gave it a ’go ahead’ – and the result became one of the most successful drugs in the haemophilia area. Today we are finding that NovoSeven has potential for a lot of other applications, not least for brain haemorrhage.”
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This page forms part of the publication 'FOCUS DENMARK' as chapter 8 of 22
Publication may be found at the address http://www.netpublikationer.dk/um/7011/index.htm
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