Novo Nordisk signs up for TransCelerate with Merck & Co

Novo Nordisk has joined fellow pharmaceutical firm Merck & Co in signing up for non-profit industry organisation TransCelerate BioPharma.

TransCelerate was initially established in September 2012 to tackle research and development-related challenges in the pharmaceutical sector, while also providing companies with a platform through which they could advance innovation.

Founding members of the group include Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Roche, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Boehringer Ingelheim, which have since been joined by a number of other firms, such as Biogen Idec, Actavis and Cubist Pharmaceuticals. The latter is an antibiotics specialist, which has recently been acquired by Merck & Co.

Commenting on the new additions to the organisation, chief executive officer of TransCelerate Dalvir Gill said: "The additions of Merck & Co and Novo Nordisk further extend the reach of our workstream solutions that each aim to drive the efficient, effective and high-quality delivery of new medicines."

Furthermore, TransCelerate has recently appointed a new chair to its board of directors, Briggs Morrison.