Denmark's Novo Nordisk buys UK insulin technology pioneer

Denmark's Novo Nordisk, the world's top insulin maker, said today it has acquired a British firm that is pioneering a new technology which could help people with diabetes inject themselves more safely with insulin.

Novo Nordisk said in a statement it has acquired Bristol-based Ziylo in a deal that could potentially exceed USD 800 million.

Ziylo describes itself as a scientific incubator that is developing glucose responsive insulins or GRIs.

A GRI would "help eliminate the risk of hypoglycaemia, the main risk associated with insulin therapy and one of the main barriers to achieving optimal glucose control," Novo Nordisk said in a statement.

Hyperglycemia or high blood sugar is when there is an excessive amount of glucose in a person's blood. And insulins are used to lower those levels.

However, the level of glucose that is deemed to be too hyperglycemic varies from person to person, making it tricky to monitor those and inject the correct amount of insulin.

Novo Nordisk said that a GRI "could also lead to better metabolic control and therefore reduce the overall burden of diabetes for people living with the disease."
The acquisition gives Novo Nordisk full rights to Ziylo's technology, which the Danish healthcare giant sees as "a key strategic area... in its effort to develop this next generation of insulin, which would lead to a safer and more effective insulin therapy."