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Press Releases

Novo Nordisk to acquire Cardior Pharmaceuticals and strengthen pipeline in cardiovascular disease

Bagsværd, Denmark, and Hannover, Germany, 25 March, 2024 – Novo Nordisk and Cardior Pharmaceuticals today announced that Novo Nordisk has agreed to acquire Cardior for up to 1.025 billion Euros, including an upfront payment and additional payments if certain development and commercial milestones are achieved.

2022

Cardior Welcomes Dr. Orly Vardeny as Permanent Guest to the Board

Hanover, Germany, December 1, 2022 – Cardior Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage biotech company developing non-coding RNA (ncRNA)-based therapeutics for patients with cardiac diseases, today announced that Orly Vardeny, PharmD, MS, joins its Board of Directors as a permanent guest.

Cardior Appoints Axel-Sven Malkomes as Chief Financial Officer

Hanover, Germany, November 3, 2022 – Cardior Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage biotech company developing non-coding RNA (ncRNA)-based therapeutics for patients with cardiac diseases, today announced the appointment of Axel-Sven Malkomes as Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Cardior Announces CE Marking of CardiorHealth miR-132 PCR Kit Used in Ongoing HF-REVERT Phase 2 Clinical Study

Hanover, Germany, September 8, 2022 – Cardior Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage biotech company developing non-coding RNA (ncRNA)-based therapeutics for patients with cardiac diseases, today announced the CE marking of its PCR kit which measures circulating microRNA-132 (miR-132) levels in the blood of patients receiving the company’s lead candidate CDR132L, an oligonucleotide-based miR-132 inhibitor.

Cardior Announces First Patient Dosed in Phase 2 Study Evaluating Efficacy and Safety of Non-coding RNA-Based Lead Candidate CDR132L in Heart Failure Patients Post-Myocardial Infarction

Hanover, Germany, July 20, 2022 – Cardior Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage biotech company developing non-coding RNA (ncRNA)-based therapeutics for patients with cardiac diseases, today announced the dosing of the first patient in their multicenter Phase 2 trial assessing efficacy and safety of CDR132L in 280 patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction after myocardial infarction (HF-REVERT).

Cardior Appoints Dr. Russell Greig as Independent Chairman of the Board

Cardior Appoints Cardiac Disease and RNA Drug Development Experts to its Scientific Advisory Board Supporting Pipeline Expansion in Both Large and Orphan Cardiac Indications

2021

Cardior Raises €64 M Series B to Advance Clinical Pipeline of RNA Therapeutics to Treat Cardiac Disease

Hanover, Germany, August 25, 2021 – Cardior Pharmaceuticals GmbH announced today the closing of a €64 million ($76 million) Series B financing round.

Cardior Appoints Dr. Rahul Agrawal as Chief Medical Officer

Hanover, Germany, July 01, 2021 – Cardior Pharmaceuticals GmbH today announced the appointment of Rahul Agrawal, MD, as Chief Medical Officer.

Cardior Pharmaceuticals: Pioneering Study Confirms Pivotal Role of Antisense microRNA Approach in the Treatment of Pathologic Hypertrophy of the Heart

Hanover, Germany, June 24, 2021 – Cardior Pharmaceuticals GmbH announced today that a pioneering study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology confirms the pivotal role of its antisense microRNA approach in the treatment of pathologic hypertrophy of the heart.

Independent Peer-Reviewed Study Validates Therapeutic Mode of Action of Cardior’s First-in-Class Heart Failure Program

Hanover, Germany, March 29, 2021 – Cardior Pharmaceuticals GmbH announced today that a recent peer-reviewed study confirms the therapeutic mode of action of its lead program CDR132L.

2020

Cardior Pharmaceuticals Announces Positive Phase Ib Results of its Lead Compound CDR132L in Heart Failure

Hanover, Germany, November 12, 2020 – Cardior Pharmaceuticals GmbH announced today positive results of a Phase Ib study with its lead compound CDR132L.

Cardior Pharmaceuticals ́ Lead Compound Demonstrates Improvement of Heart Function in Chronic Heart Failure Mode

Hanover, Germany, October 22, 2020 – Cardior Pharmaceuticals GmbH today announced a publication in the European Heart Journal (doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa791) demonstrating that repeated treatment with its lead compound CDR132L is safe, improves cardiac function and reduces both ventricular as well as left atrial volumes in chronic heart failure.

Cardior Pharmaceuticals Demonstrates Reversal of Cardiac Hypertrophy by H19 Gene Therapy

Hanover, Germany, July 13, 2020 – Cardior Pharmaceuticals GmbH today announced the results of extensive in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrating the therapeutic potential of H19 gene therapy to combat cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure.

Cardior’s pioneering miRNA approach in heart failure endorsed by expert opinions in the European Heart Journal

Hanover, Germany, February 9, 2020 – Cardior Pharmaceuticals GmbH announced today that the Phase Ib results as well as preclinical and large-animal data of the Company’s lead compound CDR132L were published alongside with two editorials from independent experts in the European Heart Journal Volume 42, Issue 3, January 14, 2021, an issue focusing on ischemic heart diseases.

2018

Cardior Receives EUR 1.01 Million Grant to Identify Novel Oligonucleotides for th e Treatment of Chronic Heart Failure

Hanover, Germany, December 11, 2018 – Cardior Pharmaceuticals GmbH today announced it has been granted EUR 1.01 million funding for a joint research project with the Institute of Molecular and Translational Therapeutic Strategies (IMTTS) at Hannover Medical School (MHH).

Cardior strengthens patent portfolio of miRNAs for the diagnosis and therapy of heart and kidney diseases

Hanover, Germany, November 1, 2018 – Cardior Pharmaceuticals GmbH today announced it has acquired a portfolio of four microRNA (miRNA) patents from Bayerische Patentallianz GmbH (BayPAT).

2017

Cardior Pharmaceuticals raises €15 million and appoints CEO and CSO

Hannover, Germany, May 11, 2017 – Cardior Pharmaceuticals today announced the completion of a €15 million Series A financing round led by LSP (Life Sciences Partners), Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund (BIVF), Bristol - Myers Squibb (BMS), BioMedPartners (with its new BioMedInvest III Fund) and High - Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF).

Upcoming Events

DIA/FDA Oligonucleotide-Based Therapeutics Conference

TIDES Europe: Oligonucleotide & Peptide Therapeutics

Cardior News

Dr. Claudia Ulbrich interviewed by Philip Hemme in the flot.bio Podcast

Insight into the history of Cardior, its lead compound CDR132L and the €1B acquisition by Novo Nordisk in an hour-long conversation with Philip Hemme in flot.bio - Europe’s Biotech Podcast.

Acquisition of Cardior Pharmaceuticals by Novo Nordisk A/S officially completed

The transaction on the acquisition of Cardior Pharmaceuticals by Novo Nordisk A/S received all regulatory approvals and is officially completed. As of May 2, 2024, Cardior Pharmaceuticals is a fully owned subsidiary of Novo Nordisk A/S. The transition process is now in progress. Novo Nordisk plans to initiate a second phase 2 trial to investigate Cardior’s lead compound in a chronic heart failure population and advance it further towards market approval.

European Journal of Heart Failure published design and rationale of HF-REVERT trial

On January 25, 2024 the European Journal of Heart Failure published the article “Efficacy and safety of CDR132L in patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction after myocardial infarction: Rationale and design of the HF-REVERT trial”. The article provides information on the HF-REVERT Clinical Trial evaluating CDR132L - world’s first RNA therapeutic for the treatment of heart failure.

2023

JACC: Basic to Translational Science published the article by Dr. Janika Viereck and Prof. Dr. Dr. Thomas Thum

On December 26, 2023 Journals of American College of Cardiology: Basic to Translational Science Vol. 8 No. 12, 2023 published the article “Development of a Mechanism-Based Next-Generation Therapeutic for Heart Failure Derived from the Dark Genome” by Dr. Janika Viereck, Cardior’s Head of R&D and Prof. Dr. Dr. Thomas Thum, Cardior’s CSO/CMO and Head of the Institute of Molecular and Translational Therapeutic Strategies of Hannover Medical School.” The article offers a detailed summary of the first-ever microRNA-based therapy from the discovery to first-in-human studies and further clinical development.

CDR132L featured in Nature Reviews Genetics

Cardior’s lead candidate CDR132L is featured in the article “Non-coding RNAs in disease: from mechanisms to therapeutics” published in Nature Reviews Genetics on November 15, 2023. The article by Kinga Nemeth, Recep Bayraktar, Manuela Ferrachin, and George Calin offers a comprehensive summary of our current knowledge of noncoding RNAs and of their roles in major human diseases. It discusses the potential use of RNAs as disease biomarkers and therapeutic targets and lists the most notable clinical research in the field to date.

Cardior Welcomes Leon Carayannopoulos to the Board

Cardior Welcomes Leon Carayannopoulos, MD, PhD, as a new Member of the Board of Directors. Leon holds a PhD in Biophysics and has an impressive track record in pharma industry particularly in translational development and clinical pharmacology with the focus on early patient programs for assets including small molecules, biologics, gene therapy, and siRNA. Leon’s vast experience and expertise will be a valuable contribution to Cardior as we continue our HF-REVERT Phase 2 study evaluating our lead candidate, CDR132L, and develop our pipeline further.

CDR132L Mode of Action Video

CDR132L Mode of Action Video has been released and is now available on Youtube. The purpose of the video is to explain the mechanism of action of our lead candidate CDR132L. 3D Animation allows to visualize the interaction of CDR132L and miR-132 on the cellular level and the effects of such interaction on the heart function.

CDR132L featured in Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News

Our lead candidate, CDR132L, is featured in the article “New Drugs May Help Rebuild Momentum against Cardiovascular Disease” by Tiffany Yesavage published in “Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News”.

CDR132L featured in Nature Biotechnology

Cardior's lead candidate CDR132L is featured in the article "Genetic medicines aim straight for the heart" by Cormac Sheridan published in Nature Biotechnology on April 04, 2023.

2022
Cardior opens new headquarter thum althusmann ulbrich

Cardior opens new headquarter in official ribbon cutting ceremony with Dr. Bernd Althusmann, Deputy Prime Minister of Lower Saxony and Minister of Economic Affairs, Labour, Transportation and Digitization

On September 14, 2022, we have officially opened our new headquarters in Hollerithallee 20, 30419 Hanover. Our scientific roots have always been in the Hanover region and we look forward to continuing our international growth from our new headquarters, demonstrating the scientific excellence and entrepreneurial spirit we have experienced in this city.

Cardior Pharma Trend Award 2022

Cardior wins Pharma Trend Award „Das Innovativste Produkt” Sprunginnovation

Cardior’s lead candidate CDR132L has been recognized as the most innovative product in the category “Sprunginnovation” at the Pharma Trend Awards 2022. Listen to our CEO Dr. Claudia Ulrich and CSO Prof. Thomas Thum as they explain the distinct features of CDR132L, Cardior’s approach to cardiac diseases and our evolution as a company.

2021

Cardior’s CSO Prof. Thomas Thum receives prestigious Paul-Martini-Award for his achievements in developing novel, causative heart failure treatments

Cardior's CSO Prof. Dr. Dr. med. Thomas Thum received the Paul Martini Award for the conception and initial testing of a new form of therapy for cardiac insufficiency - also known as heart failure. The prize is awarded annually by the Paul Martini Foundation, Berlin, for outstanding achievements in clinical therapeutic drug research.

Cardior featured in BioCentury

Cardior is featured in the BioCentury issue of January 4, 2021 with the “Emerging Company Profile”.

2019

Cardior featured in BioWorld

Cardior is featured in the BioWorld issue of January 7, 2019 with the “Newco News”.

Novo Nordisk logo
Effective 2 May 2024,
Cardior Pharmaceuticals is a wholly-owned subsidiary
of Novo Nordisk Region Europe A/S

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