Photo credit: www.cbsnews.com
Ozempic and Wegovy may not have reached the market had it not been for the determination of Mads Krogsgaard, the head of research at Novo Nordisk. In the early 1990s, the leadership team at the Danish pharmaceutical company expressed skepticism about pursuing treatments specifically for obesity. However, Krogsgaard held a different perspective.
“I began trying to persuade them that combating obesity is not merely a physical challenge,” Krogsgaard remarked. “When individuals are genetically predisposed and faced with today’s environment, their risk of obesity amplifies significantly. We need to address this issue.”
Currently, Novo Nordisk produces Ozempic and Wegovy, both prescription medications designed for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes and obesity, and they have gained significant traction in the market.
Charting the Course from Diabetes to Weight Loss Solutions
While Krogsgaard played a crucial role in shifting the company’s focus toward obesity-related therapies, it was Lotte Knudsen who made significant strides in the research. Knudsen began her career at Novo Nordisk working on an enzyme team, initially dedicated to developing laundry detergents that prevented color bleeding. She perceives her work in both fields as fundamentally aligned.
“The underlying goal is similar: to create products that are genuinely beneficial,” Knudsen explained.
In the early 1990s, she encountered research on GLP-1, a natural gut hormone with the ability to reduce blood sugar levels and curb appetite. She believed that leveraging GLP-1 to create a pharmaceutical product could transform therapies for diabetes and obesity alike. Excited about the potential, she presented the study to her supervisor Krogsgaard.
“She was the first to come into my office with passion and intensity, showing me a manuscript that hadn’t even been published yet,” Krogsgaard recalled. “Her enthusiasm was contagious, and I found myself getting drawn into the concept.”
Subsequently, Novo Nordisk dedicated two decades to developing the GLP-1 molecule, culminating in the launch of Ozempic as a treatment for Type 2 diabetes in 2017, followed four years later by Wegovy’s approval for weight management.
The success of these drugs has propelled Novo Nordisk into a position of prominence, transforming it from a niche pharmaceutical player into a corporate giant, surpassing the market capitalizations of companies like Exxon Mobil and Procter & Gamble. With a current valuation of $600 billion, Novo Nordisk now stands as Europe’s largest company.
Reflecting on her journey, Knudsen remains humble despite her pivotal role in the development of these groundbreaking drugs. She considers herself a “nerdy little scientist who found her niche here in this company for the past 35 years.”
Source
www.cbsnews.com