Bagsvard, Denmark, HannOber, Germany, March 25, 2024 – Novo Nordisk and Cardiol Pharmaceuticals today announced that Novo Nordisk has agreed to acquire Cardiol for up to €1.025 billion. This includes upfront payments and additional payments if certain development and commercial milestones are achieved.

Cardior is a leader in the discovery and development of therapies that target RNA as a means to prevent, repair and reverse heart disease. The company’s therapeutic approach targets unique non-coding RNAs as a platform to address the root causes of cardiac dysfunction, with the goal of delivering lasting benefits to patients.

The agreement includes Cardior’s lead compound CDR132L, currently in Phase 2 clinical development for the treatment of heart failure.

This acquisition is an important step forward in Novo Nordisk’s strategy to establish a presence in the cardiovascular disease space. Through internal and external innovation, Novo Nordisk is building a focused and impactful treatment portfolio to address the critical unmet needs that remain in cardiovascular disease, the most common cause of death globally. We aim to build.

Martin Horst Lange, Executive Vice President of Development at Novo Nordisk, said: “Having Cardiol as part of Novo Nordisk expands our cardiovascular disease project, which already has programs underway across all stages of clinical development. This will strengthen the pipeline.” “We are impressed by the scientific research carried out by the Cardior team, especially the work on CDR132L. It has the potential to be a first-in-class treatment for people living with heart failure. ”

CDR132L is designed to halt and partially reverse cellular pathology by selectively blocking abnormal levels of the microRNA molecule miR-132, which may lead to long-term improvements in cardiac function. there is.

In a phase 1b trial published in the European Heart Journal¹, CDR132L was reported to be safe and well-tolerated, and the results suggest that it improves cardiac function in heart failure patients compared to placebo. CDR132L is currently being studied in the Phase 2 trial HF-REVERT in 280 patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) who have had a previous heart attack (myocardial infarction). The first patient was dosed in the HF-REVERT study in July 2022.

Novo Nordisk plans to initiate a second Phase 2 study investigating CDR132L in chronic heart failure patients with cardiac hypertrophy. Cardiomegaly is a condition in which the walls of the heart muscle become thick and hard, affecting the heart’s ability to pump blood.

“This acquisition reflects the transformative potential of CDR132L as a disease-modifying therapy for heart failure,” said Claudia Ulbrich, MD, CEO and co-founder of Cardior. “Novo Nordisk is an ideal partner, combining deep clinical and commercial expertise with resources to accelerate our late-stage development program, including large-scale registration studies. CDR132L advances toward market approval I’m looking forward to doing that.”

Completion of the acquisition is subject to receipt of applicable regulatory approvals and other customary conditions, and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2024.

The transaction does not impact Novo Nordisk’s previously announced 2024 operating profit outlook or its ongoing share repurchase program. Novo Nordisk will finance the acquisition from its reserves.

About heart failure
Heart failure is a chronic, progressive condition in which the heart muscle is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body’s blood and oxygen needs.The condition causes frequent hospitalizations and more than half of people diagnosed with heart failure die within five years.². Heart failure affects more than 65 million people worldwide, and the most common causes are heart conditions such as ischemic heart disease, cardiomyopathy, and hypertension.³. This condition cannot be cured.Current treatments can slow the progression of the disease, but they cannot stop it.^Fourmorbidity and mortality remain high^Five.

About the Cardior approach
Cardior works to identify and combat the molecular mechanisms of specific heart diseases such as hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathy, as well as widespread ischemic heart failure. Cardior is primarily a new class of antisense targeting so-called non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) that act simultaneously on several important disease pathways and induce coordinated therapeutic effects on key hallmarks of heart disease. We aim to develop oligonucleotides (ASO). Cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, decreased contractility, and decreased angiogenesis. Although ncRNAs are not translated into proteins, they are important for the regulation of critical cellular processes, and their dysregulation is a hallmark of many diseases. Cardior leverages its deep knowledge in RNA biology to develop clinically oriented approaches to restore normal levels and function of these critical players in the pathological processes of heart disease.

About Novo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk is a global healthcare company founded in 1923 and headquartered in Denmark. Our purpose is to build on our heritage in diabetes to drive change to overcome this serious chronic disease. We do this by pioneering scientific advances, expanding access to medicines, and working to prevent and ultimately cure disease. Novo Nordisk has approximately 63,400 employees in 80 countries and sells products in approximately 170 countries. For more information, please visit: novonordisk.com, Facebook, Instagram, X, linkedin and YouTube.

About Cardiol
Cardior Pharmaceuticals is a leading clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering the discovery and development of RNA-based therapeutics to prevent, repair and reverse heart disease. Cardior’s therapeutic approach uses unique non-coding RNAs as an innovative platform to address the root causes of cardiac dysfunction. The company aims to bring innovative treatments and diagnostics to patients, thereby making a lasting impact on the treatment of heart disease around the world.

Contact for further information

¹ Täubel J et al. European Heart Journal 2021 Jan 7;42(2):178-188 Novel antisense therapy targeting microRNA-132 in patients with heart failure: first human phase 1b randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Study results – PubMed (NIH.GOV)

² Jones NR et al. European Journal of Heart Failure November 2019; 21(11): 1306–1325 Survival of patients with chronic heart failure in the community: a systematic review and meta-analysis – PMC (nih.gov)

³ Bragazzi NL et al. Preventive Cardiology 2021;28(15):1682-1690 Burden and root causes of heart failure in 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2017 – PubMed (nih.gov)

^Four McDonough TA et al. European Heart Journal 2021 Sep 21;42(36):3599-3726 2021 ESC Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute and Chronic Heart Failure – PubMed (nih.gov)

^Five Savarese G, Lund LH. Heart failure review. 2017;03(01):7-11 Burden of heart failure in global public health – PubMed (nih.gov)