Novo Nordisk buys insulin company Ziylo for potentially more than $800 million

Novo Nordisk will purchase the British diabetes drug maker Ziylo in a deal that could earn Ziylo more than $800 million. The University of Bristol spin-off has created molecules that bind glucose. Nordisk may use them to create glucose-responsive insulin therapies, which could reduce the risk of hypoglycemia in diabetics. Nordisk may also find a use for Ziylo’s molecules in glucose-monitoring devices. Separately, Nordisk will work with the German company Evotec to develop small-molecule drugs for diabetes, obesity, and related conditions, including the liver disease nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.