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Novo Nordisk announced the acquisition of Cardiol Pharmaceuticals to improve its pipeline in cardiovascular disease management. The acquisition includes Cardior’s top drug candidate, his CDR132L, currently in Phase II clinical development for the treatment of heart failure. Under the terms of the agreement, Cardor has the potential to earn up to $1.112 billion, including upfront payments and the opportunity to receive further payments until certain development and commercial milestones are completed.¹

Martin Horst Lange, vice president of development at Novo Nordisk, said in the press: “Having Cardiol as part of Novo Nordisk expands our pipeline of cardiovascular disease projects, which already have programs underway across all stages of clinical development. It will strengthen the line.” release. “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. ”

According to the company, CDR132L targets the microRNA molecule miR-132 and is reported to be generally safe and well-tolerated, and has shown signs of improving cardiovascular function in patients with heart failure. Upon completion of the Phase II trial, Nordisk said it plans to initiate another Phase II trial focused on chronic heart failure with cardiac hypertrophy.

“This acquisition reflects the transformative potential of CDR132L as a disease-modifying therapy for heart failure,” said Claudia Ulbrich, MD, co-founder and CEO of Cardior, in a press release. Stated. “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.”

Back in 2021, Cardiol revealed it had raised nearly $76 million in Series B funding to advance prospects such as CDR132L. Subsequently, its Phase Ib trial European Heart Journal. The first patient was dosed during the Phase II HF-REVERT study in July 2022.^{1, 2}

“We believe that ncRNAs can fundamentally change the treatment of heart disease by preventing, repairing, and reversing damage to heart tissue. With the support of new and existing investors, we are achieving our goals. Thank you for your confidence in my ability to do so,” Ulbrich said in a previous press release. “This significant funding provided by leading biotech investors is a testament to the strength of our RNA approach and our team. We welcome our new board members and look forward to advancing our clinical proof of concept as our innovative heart I look forward to working closely with the Board of Directors as we continue to make rapid progress toward the initiation of Phase II clinical trials with our lead program CDR132L, which has the potential to demonstrate the treatment of the disease and a new class of medicines. to prepare for the emergence of

References

1. Novo Nordisk acquires Cardiol Pharmaceuticals to strengthen cardiovascular disease pipeline. Novo Nordisk. March 25, 2024. Accessed March 26, 2024. https://www.novonordisk.com/news-and-media/news-and-ir-materials/news-details.html?id=167038

2. Cardior raises €64 million in Series B to advance its clinical pipeline of RNA therapeutics to treat heart disease. business wire. August 25, 2021. Accessed March 26, 2024. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005314/en/Cardior-Raises-%E2%82%AC64M-Series-B-to-Advance-Clinical- RNA therapeutics to treat heart disease pipeline