Novo Nordisk buys Forma Therapeutics for $1.1 billion

Novo Nordisk moved to buy Forma Therapeutics for $1.1 billion in a deal dated September 1, 2022, adding the sickle cell disease candidate etavopivat and expanding its rare blood disorders portfolio ^[1].

The buyer is one of Europe's largest drugmakers. Novo Nordisk is headquartered in Bagsværd, Denmark, and makes medicines mainly for diabetes and obesity ^[1]. Its product list includes Ozempic and Wegovy, both semaglutide ^[1]. Net sales in 2024 were US$42.121 billion ^[1]. The company says it employs more than 48,000 people and markets products in 168 countries ^[1].

Etavopivat is described as a candidate, which means it is a treatment still in development rather than an approved medicine ^[1]. The stated purpose of the transaction was to add it and to broaden Novo Nordisk's work in rare blood disorders ^[1].

Only the headline financial figure has been reported. The price per share, the expected closing date, and any regulatory reviews of the deal have not been reported. It also has not been reported what stage of testing etavopivat is in, whether US regulators have granted it any special designation, or when results from its studies might be released.

Why it matters for patients

Nothing about approved GLP-1 medicines changes because of this deal. Ozempic and Wegovy are semaglutide products that Novo Nordisk already sells ^[1]; a transaction involving an experimental blood disorder drug does not alter their approval status, their labels, or their ingredients. No change to supply, insurance coverage, or pricing for those products as a result of this purchase has been reported.

Etavopivat is not something a patient can be prescribed now. Because it is a candidate rather than an approved drug, it is not available at pharmacies, and it has not been reported whether it can be obtained through a clinical trial, where trials are running, or who would qualify.

The deal points to where a major manufacturer is putting research money. Novo Nordisk built its recent growth on diabetes and obesity care ^[1]. Buying a sickle cell program moves it into a different disease area with a different patient population, which could mean more company investment in rare blood disorders over time. Whether that leads to new options for people with sickle cell disease has not been established.

Sickle cell disease is a lifelong inherited blood disorder, and patients in the US have limited treatment choices. Consolidation of drugmakers is often watched by patient groups because it can affect which programs get funded and how quickly they move forward. The reported terms do not say what Novo Nordisk plans to do with the Forma pipeline beyond etavopivat, and no timeline for that pipeline has been disclosed.

What happens next

The acquisition is dated September 1, 2022 ^[1]. The closing date has not been reported, and no completion of the transaction has been confirmed in the company information reviewed here. No date has been reported for an FDA decision on etavopivat, and no date has been reported for the next round of trial results. Novo Nordisk's larger business — including its semaglutide medicines Ozempic and Wegovy — continues separately from this rare blood disorders program ^[1].