Nordic Life Science 1
Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, EVP, CSO, Novo Nordisk B
USINE S S D E A L Emisphere have collaborated since 2007 and Emisphere’s drug delivery technology Eligen SNAC is used by Novo Nordisk under an existing licence agreement in the oral formulation of Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide, which is marketed and sold under the brand name Rybelsus. Under the terms of the agreement, Novo Nordisk will acquire all outstanding shares of Emisphere for USD 1.350 billion. As part of the transaction, Novo Nordisk will also acquire related Eligen SNAC royalty stream obligations owed to MHR Fund Management LLC (MHR), the largest shareholder of Emisphere, for USD 450 million. Consequently, the total acquisition price is USD 1.8 billion. With these acquisitions, Novo Nordisk eliminates its future royalty obligations to Emisphere and MHR and obtains full access to the Eligen SNAC technology platform, thereby enabling Novo Nordisk to expand the portfolio of oral biologic pipeline assets across therapy areas. PHOTO JANTZEN