DENMARK—Novo Nordisk has announced a strategic collaboration with Ascendis Pharma to develop cutting-edge therapies for metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, especially a once-monthly glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA).
This collaboration aims to enhance Novo Nordisk’s established product lineup for obesity and type 2 diabetes with a once-monthly GLP-1RA as the primary candidate of their joint development effort.
Under the agreement, Novo Nordisk will hold exclusive rights to extend the resulting metabolic disease therapies into other therapeutic fields, solidifying its global reach in advanced treatment options.
Novo Nordisk, already recognized for its highly popular GLP-1RA drug semaglutide, markets this treatment as Wegovy for obesity and Ozempic for type 2 diabetes.
According to market projections by GlobalData, semaglutide is expected to generate sales reaching US$42.85 billion by 2030.
However, Novo Nordisk faces stiff competition from Eli Lilly’s treatment, tirzepatide—branded as Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes and Zepbound for obesity—which is forecasted to hit US$57.65 billion in sales by the same year.
A once-monthly GLP-1RA would offer a welcome alternative for patients currently relying on weekly doses, potentially making treatment more convenient.
This partnership entails joint development responsibilities for Novo Nordisk and Ascendis across various metabolic and cardiovascular conditions.
Ascendis will also grant Novo Nordisk an exclusive, worldwide license to use its proprietary TransCon technology for developing, producing, and commercialising these products, with further licenses issued on a case-by-case basis for cardiovascular-related products.
In exchange, Ascendis will receive an upfront payment of up to US$285 million from Novo Nordisk.
Additionally, Ascendis could earn up to US$77.5 million per product in developmental and regulatory milestone payments, sales-based milestones, and tiered royalties on net sales.
Pending regulatory approval, both companies aim to finalize the deal by late 2024.
The TransCon platform—a transformative technology developed by Ascendis—enables the temporary attachment of an inert carrier to a drug, allowing targeted and gradual release of the therapeutic agent either systemically or locally.
In August 2024, Ascendis received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its TransCon-based hypoparathyroidism drug Yorpvipath (palopegteriparatide).
In October, Ascendis took an additional step, filing a supplemental biologics license application (sBLA) for its TransCon hGH drug Skytrofa, which treats growth hormone deficiency.
News of the partnership positively impacted Ascendis’ stock, which saw a 1.5% increase following the announcement on November 4, contributing to the company’s current market cap of US$7.5 billion.
GlobalData predicts Ascendis’ revenue will reach US$508 million in 2024, with a significant increase projected to an annual US$4.2 billion by 2030.
Reflecting on the collaboration, Jan Mikkelsen, CEO of Ascendis, highlighted that the partnership with Novo Nordisk aligns with Ascendis’ Vision 2030 to leverage its technology across multiple large therapeutic areas beyond its core focus on endocrinology and rare diseases.
This new deal builds on Ascendis’ 2023 agreement with Teijin Limited to license its TransCon technology for endocrinological rare disease treatments and the company’s creation of Eyconis to apply TransCon in ophthalmology.
Brian Vandahl, Senior Vice President of Global Research Technologies at Novo Nordisk, emphasized the company’s focus on reducing treatment frequency and noted the potential of the TransCon platform to help achieve this aim and improve patient care.
Sign up to receive our email newsletters with the latest news updates and insights from Africa and the World HERE
Be the first to leave a comment