Novo Nordisk gets transparent on bioethics
to bioethics which it claims is the first of its kind in the
industry.
The Danish drug maker said it has gathered all information about bioethics in the R&D section of its website novonordisk.com, where anyone can read about the company's views on bioethical issues relating to clinical trials, animal testing, stem cell research, gene therapies etc.
"We wanted to provide a full overview of Novo Nordisk's approach and performance with bioethics, which is an integral aspect of our R&D activities," said Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, the company's chief science officer.
In particular, the new web pages offer an insight into the firm's experimental animals through a sequence of short film clips.
The site is aimed at a wide target group including patients, doctors, investors, experts and the general public.
Visitors can also order a new film about bioethics in Novo Nordisk called 'Three Days - Searching for Better Treatment'.
The company said the film covers three days in the lives of three Novo Nordisk employees involved in the process of developing new medicines, showing what part bioethical issues play in their work.
In addition, the company is following the foosteps of a number of drug makers by being more transparent in communicating with public about the running of its clinical trials with the launch of a new website dedicated to clinical trials.
"The new clinical trials portal will cover phase II, III and IV trials, which means both before and after the market entry point," said Thomsen.
"Doctors can find relevant studies for their patients, while patients can see for themselves if there are clinical trials they may be interested in taking part in.
But the website also caters for others who, in one way or another, wish to know how Novo Nordisk conducts its trials."
Novo Nordisk has been publishing the results of its clinical trials on www.clinicalstudyresults.org, a website launched by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), for two years but this new website makes the information available directly from the company to the public.
Meanwhile, the company recently initiated a phase I clinical trial of GlycoPEGylated factor VIIa (recombinant), a long-acting version of its drug NovoSeven Coagulation Factor VIIa, aimed at assessing the safety and pharmacokinetics of GlycoPEGylated factor VIIa in healthy volunteers.
The drug - aimed at reducing bleeding episodes in patients with haemophilia - is being developed by Novo Nordisk under a license deal with biotech firm Neose.
