The declining sales guidance for 2026 mainly reflected falling US prices associated with its deal with the Trump administration under the Most Favored Nation agreement, said Doustdar. <\/p>\n
The pricing pressure was \u201cpainful but we hope it would be an investment for our future\u201d, he said, adding that the company hoped the price declines in the US \u201cwould translate into more affordability and more people being able to pick up our products and we have seen this with the pill\u201d.<\/p>\n
The company delivered the warning as it announced net sales of DKr309bn ($48.9bn) in 2025, a 10 per cent increase against the previous year at constant exchange rates, buoyed by growth in the US and its international operations. <\/p>\n
Novo\u2019s financials contrasted with weight-loss rival Eli Lilly, which said on Wednesday morning that sales of its two top obesity drugs more than doubled in the last three months of 2025.<\/p>\n
Indianapolis-based Lilly said worldwide sales of its two weight-loss shots increased by 110 per cent and 122 per cent in the fourth quarter. The company estimated its 2026 sales would hit at least $80bn, up from $65bn last year.<\/p>\n
Lilly\u2019s shares jumped more than 7 per cent in pre-market trading.<\/p>\n
Novo reported sales of its popular obesity and diabetes treatments had risen 10 per cent to DKr289.5bn, driven largely by a rise in obesity care sales. <\/p>\n
Operating profit declined 1 per cent in local currency, although it increased 6 per cent at constant exchange rates to DKr127.7bn. The company said profit had been weighed down by the DKr8bn in costs incurred last year as part of \u201ccompany-wide transformation\u201d efforts.<\/p>\n
Novo\u2019s share price has tumbled about 70 per cent since it was briefly Europe\u2019s most valuable company in June 2024, as it has lost share in the crucial US market. <\/p>\n
The daily pill<\/a> marks a new era in weight-loss treatment as companies seek to widen their appeal to patients. However, Jefferies analysts said in a note last month that despite a strong start for the pill, there had not been an \u201cexpansion of Novo\u2019s overall GLP-1 volumes following launch, and weekly prescriptions still remain below pre-Christmas highs\u201d.<\/p>\n The pressure on the price of Novo\u2019s blockbuster drugs comes after it agreed last year to slash the cost<\/a> of injectable Ozempic and Wegovy from at least $1,000 a month to $350 when purchased on TrumpRx, the US president\u2019s new direct-to-consumer website. <\/p>\n The White House said at the time that weight-loss drugs would also be made cheaper for Americans enrolled in the Medicaid and Medicare government healthcare programmes. <\/p>\n Novo endured a turbulent 2025, with Doustdar replacing former chief executive Lars Fruergaard J\u00f8rgensen following a slump in the company\u2019s share price as it lost share of the obesity drug market to US rival Eli Lilly, which last year briefly became the world\u2019s first pharmaceutical company to hit a $1tn market valuation.<\/p>\n Recommended<\/p>\n
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