Wegovy maker Novo Nordisk cuts revenue forecast as US prescriptions tail off | Prescribed drugs business

Denmark’s Novo Nordisk has reduce its annual income and revenue forecasts after disappointingly “flabby” gross sales of its weight reduction drug Wegovy, as US prescriptions tailed off amid fierce competitors.

A increase in gross sales of Wegovy and the diabetes medicine Ozempic helped to show the pharmaceutical firm into Europe’s most useful listed firm, price $615bn (£461bn) at its peak.

Nonetheless, prescriptions within the US, its greatest market, haven’t grown since February, although Novo Nordisk elevated manufacturing of Wegovy to fulfill demand for the slimming drug. Its market worth has halved to about $310bn.

A slowdown in forecast gross sales development is more likely to deepen investor considerations that Denmark’s greatest firm is dropping market share to its US rival Eli Lilly, which makes the diabetes and weight problems medicine Mounjaro and Zepbound.

Susannah Streeter, a Hargreaves Lansdown analyst, mentioned the anti-obesity drugmaker Novo Nordisk “seemed like a lean revenue machine however its gross sales are turning flabbier as principal rival Eli Lily positive aspects extra muscle within the house”.

Wegovy was the primary of a brand new wave of anti-obesity medicine – referred to as GLP-1s after the intestine hormone they mimic – to hit the market. Gross sales of the injectable drug totalled 17.36bn Danish kroner (£1.98bn) between January and March, down by 13% from the earlier quarter. This was beneath the 18.7bn kroner forecast by analysts.

General revenues rose by 18%, and pre-tax earnings superior by 16% to 37bn kroner at fixed change charges within the first quarter, however Novo mentioned it was hit by compounding – medicines made by pharmacies utilizing the lively components of patented medicine.

The Danish firm now expects 13% to 21% gross sales development this 12 months, down from the 16% to 24% vary given at the beginning of the 12 months. Working earnings are anticipated to rise by 16% to 24%, in contrast with the earlier estimate of 19% to 27%.

Analysts are forecasting that gross sales and working revenue this 12 months will develop by 17.8% and 21.5%, respectively.

Novo’s chief govt, Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, mentioned: “Within the first quarter of 2025 we delivered 18% gross sales development and continued to develop the attain of our progressive GLP-1 therapies. Nonetheless, we’ve decreased our full-year outlook attributable to lower-than-planned branded GLP-1 penetration, which is impacted by the fast enlargement of compounding within the US.”

The corporate’s finance chief mentioned he was sceptical that Donald Trump’s govt order to scale back the time it takes to approve pharmaceutical factories within the nation would considerably change timelines for the business.

Trump signed the manager order on Monday, as a part of new laws to encourage worldwide drugmakers to shift their operations to the nation.

Karsten Munk Knudsen mentioned it takes years for a pharmaceutical firm to construct a manufacturing unit in compliance with the standard protocols set and enforced by the US Meals and Drug Administration. “We’d welcome if there are extra pragmatic methods by means of it, however I’m sceptical that it’ll markedly change timelines in our business,” he added.

The commerce group PhRMA estimates it takes 5 to 10 years to construct a brand new pharmaceutical plant within the US.

Derren Nathan, the pinnacle of fairness analysis at Hargreaves Lansdown, mentioned: “Novo Nordisk has lashed out on the controversial US compounding business in its quarterly replace, citing a concentrate on stopping illegal formulations of semaglutide, the lively ingredient in its weight-loss surprise jab Wegovy.

“In some circumstances, US compounding pharmacies are allowed to formulate lively medical components into non-approved medicine to fulfill particular person necessities or fight shortfalls in provide.”

Nathan mentioned that whereas Wegovy’s gross sales development within the US, at 39%, was “hardly pedestrian”, most of its development was pushed by gross sales in different markets. He mentioned Novo confronted “intense competitors” from Eli Lilly to convey an oral different to Wegovy to market.

Competitors is more likely to warmth up additional with different drugmakers creating next-generation GLP-1 medicines, and cheaper generic variations approaching to the market.

Sheena Berry, a healthcare analyst at Quilter Cheviot, mentioned: “Presently, the weight problems market remains to be dominated by Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, however there are quite a few medical trials ongoing with opponents trying to enter the house.”