Novo Nordisk has hired AstraZeneca’s head of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases to head its biopharma business, which has been struggling with declining sales and a failed acquisition.
Ludovic Helfgott will replace Jesper Brandgaard, who resigned as CFO earlier this year, when he retires in April next year after 20 years at the Danish company.
Novo, best known for its diabetes drugs, is on the hunt for promising assets to boost its struggling blood products business after it lost out to French rival Sanofi in the chase for Belgian biotech company Ablynx in January.
Novo’s biopharmaceutical business, which saw sales fall 16 percent last year, comprises its haemophilia and human growth hormone franchises.
By Stine Jacobsen
Source: Reuters
Big Pharma has long seen the potential for AI and machine learning to accelerate drug development. But Novo Nordisk is going a step further by channeling $200 million toward the creation of a computer that will outrun anything in existence.
Current methods for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease rely on a complex combination of self- and caregiver-reported symptoms, a physical examination and either a PET scan or a spinal tap to look for evidence of amyloid plaque build-ups in the brain. But a new artificial intelligence-based method may make the diagnostic process a much more objective one.
There is lots of talk about diversity and inclusion in business, including in pharma and medtech. A new report by the Open Political Economy Network (OPEN), a think tank focusing on migration and diversity, released its “Minority Businesses Matter: Europe” report highlighting the successes and challenges of ethnic minority-owned businesses in Europe.
