Chronic diseases such as obesity are as urgent as global warming and climate change, according to Novo Nordisk’s chief scientific officer (CSO) Marcus Schindler.

“We have an urgent health care crisis,” said Schindler while speaking at the ELRIG Drug Discovery conference 2 – 3 October in London, UK.

Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster GLP-1 receptor agonist (RA) drug semaglutide – marketed as Ozempic for type 2 diabetes and Wegovy for obesity – has changed the treatment paradigm for obesity. According to Schindler, obesity is a global pandemic affecting one billion people. “What is happening now that is really interesting; an unmet medical need turns truly into a treatable condition, and from a treatable condition into a market,” said Schindler.

A market it has turned into indeed. According to GlobalData forecasts, Ozempic and Wegovy will pull in combined global sales of $42.8bn in 2030, highlighting the commercial potential of these treatments. GlobalData is the parent company of Pharmaceutical Technology.

GLP-1RAs mimic the action of the GLP-1 hormone, which enhances insulin secretion, reduces glucagon release, and ultimately reduces appetite. The drugs help to regulate blood sugar levels and support weight loss, making them effective candidates for treating type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Schindler emphasised that the scope of these drugs is not limited to weight loss, as many chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease are linked to obesity. Wegovy secured a label update in March 2024 for the reduction in the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack, and stroke in adults with heart disease who are diagnosed as obese or overweight.

This also rings true in the clinical trials landscape. GLP-1RA candidates are now being investigated in other indications beyond metabolic disorders, with trials underway in cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and respiratory diseases. The number of trials being conducted in these drugs beyond obesity and diabetes peaked in 2023, as per GlobalData.

As the market opportunities continue to grow, Novo’s focus moves to prevention. Schindler said that the company is scaling up its efforts to develop commercial solutions that will predict and pre-empt obesity and its consequences: “Currently, we are treating. We are not managing to bend the curve,” he added.

To address this, last year, Novo Nordisk launched the transformational prevention unit (TPU). As per the company website, the unit will identify people at high risk for developing obesity and its consequences and aim to deliver targeted interventions to stop them from developing obesity in the first place.

Paragraph three has been updated to reflect that the true prevalence of individuals with obesity is one billion.

"Chronic diseases “as urgent as climate change,” says Novo Nordisk CSO" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.

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