Novel Biological and Pharmacological Interventions for Obesity Prevention

Novo Nordisk established the Transformational Prevention Unit (TPU) to develop scientifically valid and commercially scalable solutions to predict and pre-empt the risk of obesity and its consequences, so people can live healthier and longer lives. The TPU is committed to building novel, multi-sector partnerships that combine scientific, technological and implementation expertise across four inter-related product categories to deliver impactful solutions. 

To achieve this, the TPU team at Novo Nordisk is seeking science data-backed opportunities to advance the Biological Intervention product category: 

Approaches of Interest:

• All approaches entailing substances that have a biological effect on weight management and promoting metabolic health are of interest, including, pharmaceutical compounds, microbiome modulators, and nutraceuticals. Expanding on, or repurposing of, assets capable of weight reduction for preventative approaches, is also in scope
• Solutions for prevention of obesity related cardiometabolic disorders (e.g. type 2 diabetes, CVD, MASH, CKD), preferably in combination with effects on weight management 
• Open to all modalities, including medical devices used in the delivery of a therapeutic compound 
• All delivery routes will be considered, with higher priority given to orally delivered solutions 
• All mechanisms of action are of interest, including affecting appetite, energy expenditure, and novel MoAs

Out of Scope:

• Behavioral approaches to weight management 
• Medical devices used only to monitor weight and cardiometabolic health 

Developmental Stages of Interest:

• Opportunities from preclinical research onwards are in scope. Research with clinical validation will be given priority 
• There is a strong preference for preclinical research to have in vivo validation 
• The ability to demonstrate safety of proposed intervention will be an advantage 

Submission Information

Submission of one-page, 200–300-word briefs is encouraged, along with any optional supplementary information e.g. relevant publications. In submitting to this campaign, you confirm that your submission contains only non-confidential information. 

Opportunity for Collaboration

Our client is open to a range of collaboration opportunities, with the most appropriate outcome being decided on a case-by-case basis. Example outcomes include licensing assets, co-development, and research collaborations.