Novo Nordisk names Bayer's Andrea Haegebarth head of global research
A leadership change at the maker of obesity and diabetes treatments puts a Bayer precision-medicine executive in charge of early-stage drug discovery, the stage that decides which candidates ever reach testing in people.
Novo Nordisk said on September 1, 2026 that Andrea Haegebarth will join the company as senior vice president of global research, effective October 1, 2026 [1]. Jacob Petersen, who held that research role, will move to a new position as head of R&D external innovation after more than 25 years at the Danish drugmaker [1].
New leadership for discovery
Haegebarth comes from Bayer, where she spent nearly two decades and most recently served as global head of research and early development for precision medicine [1]. In that role she built Bayer's portfolio across precision cardiovascular and nephrology, spanning chronic and acute care, and supported work in immunology [1]. She began her career at Bayer as a research scientist in its oncology division and later held roles in product commercialisation and R&D strategy [1].
At Novo Nordisk, her job will focus on drug discovery for serious chronic diseases [1]. In a LinkedIn post, she wrote that she was "particularly excited to bring my experience across cardiovascular, renal and immunology research to help build on Novo Nordisk's strong scientific foundation, expand our impact in related disease areas, and advance innovations that address important unmet needs for patients" [1].
An internal move
Petersen's new job is an internal move [1]. Over his more than 25 years at Novo Nordisk he has worked in metabolic diseases, cell therapy, nucleic acid therapies, diabetes and obesity [1]. As head of R&D external innovation, he will lead efforts to identify and use scientific advances and capabilities from across the research community outside the company [1].
"External innovation is not only about looking outside our walls," Petersen wrote on LinkedIn. "It is about staying open, humble and curious" [1].
Martin Holst Lange, Novo Nordisk's executive vice president of R&D and chief scientific officer, described the two roles as "highly complementary – strengthening our research further and connecting us with the best science across the community to deliver meaningful innovation" [1].
The pipeline the new leaders inherit
Novo Nordisk spent DKK 52 billion (about US$8 billion) on research and development in 2025, up 8% from the year before, equal to 16.8% of its 2025 sales [1]. Its public pipeline lists 37 programs across Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3 and filed or approval stages, and 31 of those relate to obesity or diabetes [1]. Key programs include CagriSema and a range of next-generation GLP-1 therapies, along with research into cardiovascular disease and rare disorders [1]. The company is also developing therapies using RNAi, gene editing, cell therapy, peptides and proteins, alongside oral drug-delivery technologies [1].
Novo Nordisk has been building outside partnerships as well. In August 2026 it announced an AI co-innovation hub in London with Amazon Web Services [1]. It works with Aspect Biosystems on cellular medicines for diabetes, and with Vivtex on next-generation oral biologic medicines for obesity, diabetes and related conditions in a deal that could be worth up to US$2.1 billion [1].
Why it matters for patients
The announcement contained no regulatory or product news, and no label or availability changes were disclosed [1]. What a research leadership change can shape over time is which drug candidates move forward and how quickly. With 31 of 37 listed programs tied to obesity or diabetes, the priorities set in the global research group cover a large share of the company's pipeline [1]. Haegebarth's stated focus on cardiovascular, renal and immunology research points toward disease areas beyond weight and blood sugar, but the company has not said which specific programs will change or when [1].
Novo Nordisk has not disclosed any effect of the leadership change on development timelines for individual programs, and no clinical data were reported with the announcement [1]. For people already taking a Novo Nordisk medicine, nothing in the announcement changes the medicine itself, its supply, or the evidence behind it [1].
What happens next
Both appointments take effect October 1, 2026 [1]. Novo Nordisk has not reported any further R&D leadership changes beyond these two [1].
Sources
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