Novo Nordisk sets local goals

Inflammatory diseases will be the focus in Seattle By JOSEPH TARTAKOFF P-I REPORTER Novo Nordisk's plans to establish a research center in Seattle are part of a broader push by the Danish drug giant to establish itself in the field of inflammatory disease. In an interview Wednesday, Don Foster, who will head the Seattle site, said Novo Nordisk decided to open the center here in part because other companies with local operations, including ZymoGenetics and Amgen (which makes the rheumatoid arthritis drug Enbrel), were already working in the field. Among the indications Novo Nordisk hopes to target in Seattle are autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, including multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and systemic lupus erythmatosus. "There is a pool of talent in Seattle and a track record of... [read full story]