Novo Nordisk reports patient data breach in clinical trial cyberattack

Novo Nordisk said a cyberattack led data breach involving data from some participants in its clinical trials.

The Danish pharmaceutical giant, on Thursday it has identified a security incident in which certain information, including patient data from some clinical trials, was copied externally without ‌authorization from its internal IT systems.

Widely known for its blockbuster weight-loss and diabetes treatments, the drug maker company said it has launched a probe with the assistance of external cybersecurity experts and is in contact with the relevant authorities.

The incident resulted in unauthorized access to certain information linked to people taking part in medical research studies conducted by the company.

Following the breach, Novo Nordisk launched an investigation to determine the scope of the incident, identify what information was affected, and assess any potential risks to participants.

The company is also reviewing its systems and security measures as part of its response to the cyberattack.

Notably, Novo clearly mentioned in a recent statement, the information is not directly linked to any patients by name or other direct identifiers, and it does not ‌consider the incident to enable any third party to identify participants in its clinical trials.