Novo hikes outlook again as it speeds up Wegovy pill rollout
NVO•Novo Nordisk raised its 2026 adjusted sales and operating profit outlook to between 2% growth and a 2% decline, from flat to a 6% fall. Third-quarter Wegovy pill sales reached 5.39 billion Danish crowns, and the company plans to launch the pill in more than 20 countries by mid-2027.
1. Outlook raised again
Novo Nordisk raised its 2026 adjusted sales and operating profit forecast for the third time this year, to between 2% growth and a 2% decline at constant exchange rates, from flat to a 6% fall. It cited higher third-quarter volumes, particularly for obesity drugs in the United States and international markets; the revised outlook assumes international sales growth and a decline in the United States.
2. Pill sales beat forecasts
Wegovy pill sales were 5.39 billion Danish crowns ($810 million) in the third quarter, up 53% from the second quarter and above analysts’ 4.62 billion-crown estimate. Novo said a US government programme offering obesity drugs to seniors for $50 a month was largely behind an approximately 20% quarter-on-quarter increase in pill volumes.
3. Faster international rollout
Novo plans to launch the pill in more than 20 countries by mid-2027, earlier than its previous end-2027 target, and said it is now sold in eight markets. Third-quarter adjusted operating profit rose 27% to 31.72 billion Danish crowns, while adjusted sales were 79.20 billion crowns. Chief Financial Officer Karsten Munk Knudsen will leave at the end of December, with Galderma finance chief Luigi La Corte named as his successor.
