Global health: the ethical responsibility of the pharmaceutical industry.

Health as a global issue concerns all and clearly manifests global inequality. All stakeholders of the healthcare systems and disease treatment--including the pharmaceutical industry--have an ethical obligation to contribute to promoting global health. At Novo Nordisk we primarily focus on providing our contribution to global health through defeating diabetes.

[Global health--the ethical responsibility of the pharmaceutical industry].

Health is a global concern and all stakeholders in society--including the pharmaceutical industry--have an ethical responsibility to contribute to promote health. At Novo Nordisk, we have decided to focus on defeating diabetes since this is the area where the company can make the biggest difference. Financial viability goes hand in hand with environmental and social responsibility, not only in the external stakeholder dialogue, but also in the quest for attraction and retention of the best possible staff.

The insulin secretagogues glibenclamide and repaglinide do not influence growth hormone secretion in humans but stimulate glucagon secretion during profound insulin deficiency.

In vitro data have recently suggested that sulfonylureas (SUs) enhance GH secretion by modulating the effects of GHRH and somatostatin in pituitary cells. The present study was undertaken to explore in more detail a possible influence of a single dose of SU (glibenclamide) and a non-SU (repaglinide) insulin secretagogue on circulating GH dynamics. Ten C-peptide-negative type 1 diabetic individuals were examined on three occasions in random order.

[The roles and responsibilities of the pharmaceutical industry].

A major part of clinical research in Denmark involves clinical testing of pharmaceuticals sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry. All these trials are carried out according to Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and necessitate a close working relationship between responsible investigators and the pharmaceutical industry. It is of mutual interest that these trials should have a high scientific standard and that the integrity of patients always has the highest priority.

[Contact and dialogue between drug companies and the global regulatory authorities throughout research and development phase].

Contact between pharmaceutical companies and local as well as global regulatory authorities (Ministry of Health) takes place throughout the development phase and especially when a clinical study is to be initiated. This contact is important both for the company and for the authorities, as both parties are constantly kept informed about the development progress and about the potential unexpected findings in connection with development of a new drug. The authority dialogue secures that authorities and companies exploit their resources optimally and patients get access to new, safe and efficacious drugs without delay.

Nateglinide, but not repaglinide, stimulates growth hormone release in rat pituitary cells by inhibition of K channels and stimulation of cyclic AMP-dependent exocytosis.

Objective: GH causes insulin resistance, impairs glycemic control and increases the risk of vascular diabetic complications. Sulphonylureas stimulate GH secretion and this study was undertaken to investigate the possible stimulatory effect of repaglinide and nateglinide, two novel oral glucose regulators, on critical steps of the stimulus-secretion coupling in single rat somatotrophs.

Methods: Patch-clamp techniques were used to record whole-cell ATP-sensitive K(+) (K(ATP)) and delayed outward K(+) currents, membrane potential and Ca(2+)-dependent exocytosis.