Novo Nordisk’s next obesity battlefront: Winning beyond America
Novo Nordisk is facing challenges in the obesity drug market despite an early lead with its Wegovy pill. The company expects a decline in profits and sales due to lower prices and competition from generics. Meanwhile, Eli Lilly's rival product Foundayo has seen slower adoption compared to Wegovy, which is gaining popularity in the U.S.
- ▪Novo Nordisk forecasts a sales decline of 4% to 12% in 2026.
- ▪Wegovy has surpassed 2 million total prescriptions since its U.S. launch.
- ▪Eli Lilly's Foundayo has recorded fewer prescriptions than Wegovy since its launch.
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While Eli Lilly expects sales to grow 28% at the midpoint of its guidance this year, Novo has forecast a drastic decline in sales.Novo hiked its guidance slightly last week, but still expects profits and sales to decline between 4% and 12% in 2026, hurt by lower prices in the U.S. and generic competition in markets including India, Canada, Brazil, and China.This is despite Novo gaining an early lead in the oral weight loss drugs with the U.S. launch of the Wegovy pill in January. Last week, Novo said total prescriptions had reached more than 2 million, as sales massively beat expectations in its first quarter despite its lower price point.
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