Operating profit increased by 18% in the first quarter of 2012

27 April 2012 - Sales growth of 13% driven by Victoza^®, NovoRapid^® and Levemir^®

Lars Rebien Sørensen, president and CEO: “We are satisfied with the solid sales growth during the first quarter of 2012 – still driven by the modern insulins NovoRapid® and Levemir® as well as our once-daily human GLP-1 Victoza®. Furthermore, the regulatory reviews for Tresiba® (intended brand name for Degludec) and Ryzodeg® (intended brand name of DegludecPlus), our new generation of insulins, continue to progress well in the major markets.”

Read the financial report.

The history of insulin

Novo Nordisk’s Chief Science Officer Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen explains about diabetes and the discovery of insulin, the development of insulin and the differences of human insulin, modern insulin and the next generation insulin. Hear also about how people with diabetes have to control their blood sugar levels and how insulin research and development has reduced the number of times people with diabetes have to inject themselves.

Challenge: an insulin tablet

Peter Kurtzhals, senior vice president of diabetes research at Novo Nordisk explains about the different types of diabetes and medicine. Hear about how people with diabetes have to try to control their blood sugar levels. It is difficult to get started on injecting themselves with insulin, as they currently have to. Therefore, an insulin tablet would be a big help. Peter Kurtzhals explains what is being done to develop such a tablet and what the challenges are.  

Click here to see the presentation (16 mins)