Novo Nordisk collaborates with Oxford University on RA and other inflammatory diseases research

Departing from its core competence, diabetes, Danish insulin giant Novo Nordisk (NOV: N) and the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology at Oxford University have entered into a new partnership to develop promising new drug candidates and identify novel biomarkers and treatment targets for rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune inflammatory diseases.

The Copenhagen-based company has half a dozen Phase I and II RA compounds under development for rheumatoid arthritis, but no marketed products.

Per Falk, senior vice president of the Biopharmaceutical Research Unit at Novo Nordisk, commented: “The overall ambition is to combine our company’s clinical development strengths with those of the Kennedy Institute to increase the odds that we can successfully develop novel treatment regimens and get them more quickly to the patients who could potentially benefit from them,” adds Mr Falk.