Novo Nordisk has announced an expansion of its collaboration with Valo Health, aimed at advancing new therapies for type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiometabolic diseases through the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and extensive human health datasets. The partnership, which originally centred on cardiovascular disease, now encompasses a total of 20 drug programmes, marking a significant increase from the previously planned 11.
As part of the agreement, Valo Health stands to receive a substantial financial package, which includes an upfront payment, equity investment, and potential milestone payments, potentially totalling $190 million. This financial arrangement highlights the confidence both organisations have in the successful outcome of their joint efforts.
Marcus Schindler, executive vice-president and chief scientific officer at Novo Nordisk, expressed satisfaction with the progress made in the first year of collaboration, stating, “We are very pleased with the progress we have made together with Valo during the first year of our collaboration, and we are excited to expand the scope to put a stronger focus on obesity and type 2 diabetes in addition to cardiovascular disease.” He further underscored the potential benefits of combining Valo Health's capabilities with those of Novo Nordisk, affirming the belief that the partnership will facilitate the advancement of multiple AI-powered, human-centric programmes, ultimately enhancing Novo Nordisk's efforts to increase the number of new drug programmes entering clinical settings.
Utilising Valo Health’s Opal computational platform, the partnership plans to leverage insights drawn from human genetic and longitudinal patient data. This approach aims to focus on the interconnectedness of type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease, seeking to identify new targets that may lead to innovative drug therapies.
In addition, Novo Nordisk’s alliance with Valo marks a continuation of its strategy to invest in advanced technologies for drug discovery and development. Prior to this collaboration, Novo Nordisk engaged with Variant Bio to concentrate on identifying new therapeutic targets for metabolic conditions. The firm is positioning itself at the forefront of AI integration in pharmaceutical development, seeking to streamline research processes and improve therapeutic outcomes across a range of health challenges.
This strategic collaboration is set to drive growth and innovation in the pharmaceutical industry as it harnesses the power of AI and extensive health data to address critical health issues affecting millions globally.
Source: Noah Wire Services