Sweet switch

Novo Nordisk A/S is betting Ziylo Ltd.’s glucose-responsive compounds can unlock development of smart insulins that are a step up for diabetes therapy. Unlike the competitors, which mostly act when blood glucose is high, Ziylo’s chemistry can also shut off insulin when glucose levels are low, removing the risk of hypoglycemia.

Novo’s acquisition of the U.K. biotech, announced last week, is evidence the pharma is following through on its commitment to move away from insulins that only offer incremental improvements and focus instead on more disruptive technologies (see )...