From insulin to Ozempic, history of Novo Nordisk's CEOs

(Reuters) -Ozempic-maker Novo Nordisk connected Friday ousted its CEO Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen implicit concerns the institution is losing its first-mover vantage successful the competitory obesity cause marketplace to American rival Eli Lilly.

The institution has had 5 CEOs successful its much than 100 years of history. Jorgensen, who joined successful 2017, has had the shortest tenure of all.

Here is simply a timeline of the institution with respect to its CEOs: -

1920s-2000

Danish mates August and Marie Krogh founded Nordsik Insulinlaboratorium successful 1923 and commercialized the accumulation of insulin.

The institution competed with Novo Terapeutisk Laboratorium, which was founded by brothers Harald and Thorvald Pedersen, until the 2 merged successful 1989.

Knud Hallas Molle was Novo's 2nd CEO from 1961 to 1981. During that time, some companies pursued and developed techniques to nutrient pharmaceutical products utilizing fermentation.

Mads Ovlisen served arsenic CEO of Novo and Novo Nordisk aft its merger from 1981 to 2000.

In 1982, Novo marketed Human Monocomponent Insulin, and successful 1987, the archetypal quality insulin products were made utilizing genetically engineered yeast cells. Novo launched the NovoPen - the archetypal insulin pen instrumentality successful 1985.

2000–2017

Lars Rebien Sorensen becomes CEO aft serving arsenic the caput of Novo's healthcare business. The company's enzymes concern was spun disconnected arsenic a abstracted company, Novozymes A/S successful 2000. In 2004, Levemir – a long-acting modern insulin – was launched.

Under Sorensen, the institution develops its archetypal GLP-1 drug, a precursor to Ozempic and Wegovy. Liraglutide, a GLP-1 merchandise for attraction of benignant 2 diabetes, enters signifier 3 trials.

Novo Nordisk launches its archetypal GLP-1 product, liraglutide, branded arsenic Victoza successful 2009 successful Europe and successful 2010 successful the U.S.

In 2013, Novo Nordisk's semaglutide starts planetary signifier 3 trials. In December 2016, it files semaglutide for regulatory support successful the U.S. and the EU, based connected the results from the six trials.

2017-present

In January 2017, Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen became CEO decades aft joining the institution arsenic a graduate. In December 2017, Ozempic, besides known arsenic semaglutide, gets approved successful the U.S. for diabetes, the archetypal once-weekly GLP-1 drug.

Wegovy, which uses the aforesaid progressive constituent arsenic Ozempic, gets approved successful the U.S. arsenic a attraction for obesity successful June 2021.

In November 2023, U.S. and UK regulators approved Eli Lilly's rival weight-loss attraction Zepbound, aft the company's diabetes cause was launched successful 2022.

In December 2024, Novo Nordisk's next-generation obesity cause shows lower-than-expected value nonaccomplishment successful a late-stage study, dealing a stroke to its ambitions for a successor to Wegovy that is much almighty than rival Lilly's Zepbound.