TransTech Pharma, Inc. Obtains Exclusive License to Glucokinase Activator Program for the Treatment of Diabetes from Novo Nordisk

TransTech Pharma and Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE: NVO)(CSE: NVO)
announced today an agreement whereby TransTech has obtained an
exclusive license from Novo Nordisk to its clinical glucokinase
activator (GKA) program. Tests in a variety of mammalian species
suggest that glucokinase activators can help people with diabetes
control their glucose levels. Under the terms of the agreement,
TransTech will obtain all rights worldwide to Novo Nordisk's GKA
program including preclinical and clinical compounds, the latter with
human data.

On 15 January, Novo Nordisk announced a decision to focus all its
research and development resources on the company's growing pipeline
of protein-based pharmaceuticals. As a result of this decision the
company said it would out-license existing preclinical and clinical
small-molecule projects, including its GKA program which is currently
in clinical testing.

The drug candidates licensed by TransTech are novel, orally
administered compounds discovered during a strategic research
collaboration initiated in 2001 between TransTech and Novo Nordisk
utilizing TransTech's proprietary small-molecule discovery engine, TTP
Translational Technology(R).

Adnan Mjalli, PhD, founder, chairman and chief executive officer
of TTP, said, "The promise of glucokinase activators to transform
diabetes therapy is enormous. We are excited to obtain all the rights
to these drug candidates, which we jointly discovered with Novo
Nordisk, a recognized worldwide leader in diabetes therapies. The
addition of the glucokinase activator program will greatly enhance our
existing diabetes and obesity portfolio and allow TransTech to become
a world leader in the discovery and development of novel treatments
for diabetes and obesity - a key therapeutic focus of the company. Our
current diabetes and obesity portfolio includes orally administered
and novel therapeutic development candidates targeting PTP1b
inhibitors, AgRP inhibitors, GLP1R agonists and AMPK activators."

Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, executive vice president and chief
science officer of Novo Nordisk, said: "We are very pleased that it
has been possible to reach an agreement with TransTech in such short
time. They have been our partners in the GKA program all along, and
they have the capabilities to take on the further development. This
allows us to focus our R&D on therapeutic proteins which is where we
have our core competences, while keeping a financial stake in the GKA
program."

TransTech will make an up-front payment to Novo Nordisk for the
licensed rights, and has also committed to additional payments as
development milestones are reached, as well as royalties on commercial
product sales. The parties have agreed not to disclose further terms
of the agreement.

About TransTech Pharma, Inc.

TransTech Pharma is a privately held clinical-stage pharmaceutical
company working on the discovery, development, and commercialization
of human therapeutics to fill unmet medical needs. The Company's
high-throughput drug discovery platform, TTP Translational
Technology(R), translates the functional modulation of human proteins
into safe and effective medicines. TransTech has a pipeline of
small-molecule clinical and pre-clinical drug candidates for the
treatment of a wide range of human diseases, including central nervous
system disorders, type I/II diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular and
cancer. For further company information, visit
http://www.ttpharma.com.

About Novo Nordisk

Novo Nordisk is a healthcare company and a world leader in
diabetes care. The company has the broadest diabetes product portfolio
in the industry, including the most advanced products within the area
of insulin delivery systems. In addition, Novo Nordisk has a leading
position within areas such as haemostasis management, growth hormone
therapy and hormone replacement therapy. Novo Nordisk manufactures and
markets pharmaceutical products and services that make a significant
difference to patients, the medical profession and society. With
headquarters in Denmark, Novo Nordisk employs more than 23,600
employees in 79 countries, and markets its products in 179 countries.
Novo Nordisk's B shares are listed on the stock exchanges in
Copenhagen and London. Its ADRs are listed on the New York Stock
Exchange under the symbol 'NVO'. For more information, visit
novonordisk.com.