Novo Nordisk Wegovy Pill Sales Beat Forecasts

CNBC reported Wednesday that Novo Nordisk lifted its full-year profit outlook after the Wegovy pill dramatically exceeded sales expectations in its first full quarter on the U.S. market. Shares in the Danish drugmaker climbed more than 6% in Copenhagen morning trading.

Wegovy Pill Doubles Analyst Estimates in Debut Quarter

The oral weight-loss drug generated roughly 2.26 billion Danish kroner in first-quarter revenue. That figure was nearly double the consensus analyst estimate of 1.16 billion kroner compiled by Reuters. The pill saw approximately 1.3 million prescriptions written during the three-month period.

CEO Mike Doustdar told CNBC the results were self-explanatory. He said the product was well tolerated and that weekly sales continued rising by double digits. Novo’s Wegovy brand now holds 65% of all new U.S. weight-loss prescriptions, Doustdar said, describing the trajectory as a genuine turnaround.

Strong Quarter Across Key Metrics

Total first-quarter revenue rose 32% on a constant-currency basis to 96.8 billion kroner, equivalent to roughly $15.2 billion on a reported basis. Operating profit surged 65% on a reported basis to 59.6 billion kroner. Adjusted figures, which strip out a $4.2 billion provision reversal tied to a U.S. drug-pricing programme, showed a modest revenue decline of 4% and a profit dip of 6%.

Injectable Wegovy sales climbed 12% year-on-year, while Ozempic diabetes revenue fell 8% but still topped analyst forecasts. The combined obesity-care segment posted adjusted constant-currency growth of 22%.

Background: A Market Worth $100 Billion

Novo and rival Eli Lilly have spent the past two years competing aggressively for dominance in the global obesity-drug market, which analysts project could reach $100 billion by the end of the decade. Lilly has recently pulled ahead in the U.S. injectable segment and launched its own weight-loss pill, Foundayo, in early April. Lilly last week posted sales growth of 125% for Mounjaro and 80% for Zepbound.

Doustdar said the pill and injectable formats are proving complementary rather than cannibalising each other. Patients are using both forms, creating a synergistic rather than substitutive effect on demand.

Guidance Raised for 2026

Novo now expects adjusted sales and operating profit to contract between 4% and 12% on a currency-adjusted basis this year. That is a meaningful improvement on its prior forecast of a 5% to 13% decline. The upgrade signals management confidence that GLP-1 momentum can persist even amid intensifying competition.

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