Milestones

The Novo Nordisk history is full of firsts, in both diabetes care and biopharmaceuticals. In diabetes care, our firsts include the first hospital dedicated exclusively to diabetes care, the first long-acting insulin (NPH), the first Lente® insulin products, the first purified insulin, the first insulin pen delivery system, the first meglitinide oral antidiabetic agent, the first delivery system with a memory, and the first combined blood glucose monitoring and insulin dosing system, the first insulin pen enhanced with a colorful design for children and teenagers, and the first insulin analog approved for pump therapy.

We are also proud of being the first to develop pituitary growth hormone (p-hGH), the first to develop biosynthetic human growth hormone (b-hGH) using recombinant DNA (rDNA) technology, and the first to sponsor a controlled study of daily subcutaneous growth hormone injections (versus intramuscular injections given three times a week).