Novo Nordisk raises 2026 outlook as Wegovy pill sales surge — SkimNews
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- Novo Nordisk posted Q2 adjusted operating profit of 33.4 billion Danish kroner ($5.15 billion), up 11% at constant exchange rates and ahead of the 28.74 billion kroner analyst consensus.
- Novo Nordisk raised its full-year 2026 guidance for adjusted sales and operating profit to a range of zero to minus 6% at constant exchange rates versus 2025, up from the prior minus 12% to minus 4%.
- Wegovy's pill form has now surpassed 5 million total U.S. prescriptions since launch, with weekly prescriptions exceeding 265,000 for the week ending July 17.
- The Wegovy pill launched in the UAE in June and in the U.K. in July, and the European Medicines Agency approved both the pill and the higher-dose Wegovy 7.2 mg single-dose pen in July.
- Novo Nordisk took 6.3 billion kroner in one-time, non-cash write-downs tied to intangible pipeline assets during the quarter, including a 4.0 billion kroner charge on obesity candidate monlunabant, pulling reported operating profit down 16% at constant exchange rates.
- Novo Nordisk is squaring off against Eli Lilly in a weight-loss drug market that analysts expect to top $100 billion in annual revenue by 2030, and has filed a U.S. federal lawsuit alleging misleading promotional practices by Lilly, which has rejected the claims.
Why it matters: Novo Nordisk's pill-form Wegovy has crossed 5 million U.S. prescriptions, and the raised 2026 guidance signals Novo is clawing back share from Eli Lilly in a market analysts peg at over $100 billion annually by 2030. Offsetting the adjusted beat: 6.3 billion kroner in pipeline write-downs, including the monlunabant candidate, pushed reported operating profit down 16%.
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