For 100 years engaged in pharmacological research in diabetesNovo Nordisk, which in March 1923 treated the first patients with insulin, is today also active in the fight against other serious chronic diseases such as obesity, rare diseases of the blood and the endocrine system. The company made it known on the occasion of an institutional event held today in Rome to celebrate the century of activity.
In 1922 – recalls the pharmaceutical company in a note – August Krogh, a Nobel Prize-winning Danish physiologist, and his wife Marie, suffering from type 2 diabetes, went to see the Canadian researchers Frederick Banting and Charles Best, who had started, the year earlier, to extract insulin from the pancreas of cattle. The next year, in March 1923 August Krogh opened a company in Denmark, the Nordisk Insulin Laboratorium, which began producing insulin for the treatment of diabetes. One of August Krogh’s first collaborators, Harald Pedersen, founded a competing company in 1925: Novo Therapeutic Laboratory.
In 1989, after more than sixty years of competition, Novo and Nordisk decided to join forces to become Novo Nordisk A/S. From the production of insulin came many other pioneering activities in the treatment of diabetes: from the first human insulin made from genetically modified yeast cells – which can be produced in unlimited quantities to greatly expand access (1982—to the NovoPen*, the first pen for insulin, similar to a cartridge fountain pen (1985).Then came modern insulins – hormone analogues – and the latest generation of antidiabetics, which saw the Danish company as leader in the class of GLP-1 (Glucagon-like Peptides -1) for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. The experience in the treatment of diabetes has also made it possible to carry on the research of drugs for the treatment of obesity. At the same time, he has put his knowledge and experience to good use to develop other biopharmaceutical products for the treatment of hemophilia (recombinant factor VIIa and factor VIIIa, TFPI factor, factor VIII-mimetic), growth disorders (combinant DNA growth hormone). Today, Novo Nordisk is working to improve access to insulin and haemophilia medicines in all the countries where it operates.
The pharmaceutical is entering new therapeutic areas to address cardiovascular disease, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), chronic kidney disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore, it is very active in the fight against climate change, for this reason it uses 100% renewable energy in all its plants with the ambition of achieving net zero emissions throughout the supply chain by 2045. Today, the company has over 55,000 employees in 80 countries, research and development centers in 5 countries and production sites in 9 countries, invests 13.6% of turnover in R&D. Its products are present in about 170 countries, thanks to the numerous local affiliates which are headed up by the headquarters in Copenhagen. It supplies drugs to treat diabetes to over 34 million people worldwide and produces half of the world’s insulin.
In Italy since 1981, Novo Nordisk, based in Rome, currently has over 350 employees and a turnover of 298 million euros (2021) and an investment of 13.8 million in research in the last 4 years. Our country is contributing with many initiatives such as the Electric Path programme, a public-private partnership, for the installation of charging stations in Italian hospitals.
The story of Novo Nordisk began in March 1923, with the first patients treated with insulin. Today, on its 100th anniversary, the Danish pharmaceutical continues on the trail of innovation, also launching the international program ‘Driving change for generations’ in Italy. The goal – explains the company in a statement – is to lead the change for future generations, to defeat diabetes and other serious chronic diseases such as obesity, rare diseases of the blood and the endocrine system, through pioneering scientific discoveries , expanding access to their medicines and working to prevent and ultimately cure disease.
For the occasion, an event was held today in Rome, at Villa Miami, in which high institutional officials took part: the vice president of the Senate of the Republic, Gian Marco Centinaio, and the secretary of the Presidency and member of the Social Affairs Commission of the Chamber , Clare Colosimo. The debate also saw the presence of the Minister of Health, Orazio Schillaci, the Deputy Minister for Business and Made in Italy, Valentino Valentini, the Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policies, Maria Teresa Bellucci, and the President of the National Council Anci and president of the Civex Commission, Enzo Bianco. During the event, the importance of research and innovation was also underlined, with speeches by professors Walter Ricciardi and Stefano Del Prato, and by the president of Farmindustria Marcello Cattani. The ambassador of Denmark in Italy, Anders Carsten Damsgaard, and the councilor of the Municipality of Rome for Security Policies, Productive Activities and Equal Opportunities, Monica Lucarelli also brought their institutional greetings.
“A century of breakthroughs in health has shown us that progress is only possible by driving change. Perseverance and collaboration have defined our past and will define our future. As Novo Nordisk turns 100, we renew our commitment to lead the change for a more sustainable economy, a healthier environment and society for future generations”, declared Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen, president and CEO of Novo Nordisk, present for the first time in Italy.
Thanks to the progress of science and society – continues the company note – life expectancy has doubled in the last 100 years, but the lengthening of life has increased the number of people with chronic diseases, eroding the quality of life of those affected and threatening their future health and prosperity. Drugs alone cannot solve these challenges. This is why Novo Nordisk works in partnership around the world to promote change and improve population health through integrated solutions and prevention activities. Furthermore, with the ‘Cities Changing Diabetes’ program, in more than 40 cities around the world it participates in the creation of the ‘healthy cities’ of tomorrow to address health inequalities and work on the creation of urban environments where obesity and diabetes can be prevented . Italy is the first country in the world for the number of cities involved in the programme, with Rome and Milan and many regional and provincial capitals.
“Novo Nordisk is committed to fighting chronic diseases to ensure better health for future generations – stated Drago Vuina, General Manager and Corporate Vice President of Novo Nordisk Italy – But fighting against chronic diseases today means above all improving people’s quality of life, and it is for this reason that our commitment combines research with the promotion of prevention and healthy lifestyles, and the search for integrated solutions that act globally. This is why we collaborate with national and local institutions and government bodies that have the same goals as us: to promote health, respect for the environment and the well-being of communities”.
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