Novo owner commits $265 million of Wegovy windfall to respiratory diseases

The Novo Nordisk Foundation, which controls drug maker Novo Nordisk, said on Monday it would commit up to 1.8 billion Danish crowns ($265 million) to setting up an initiative aimed at improving vaccines for respiratory diseases. A huge windfall from the runaway success of Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drug Wegovy has bulged coffers of the foundation, potentially making it a major philanthropist and environmental, social and governance (ESG) investor. The initiative aims to create new or improved vaccines for some of the deadliest respiratory diseases, including tuberculosis, influenza and group A streptococcus, which collectively cause more than 2.5 million deaths per year, the foundation said.