Novo Nordisk's Wegovy pill beats forecasts as it battles Lilly

Novo Nordisk's Wegovy pill beat ‌third-quarter ​sales forecasts on Wednesday, a test of whether the Danish drugmaker's new oral weight-loss drug can help it regain ‌lost ground to rival Eli Lilly. Sales of the pill, launched in the United States in January, were 5.39 billion Danish crowns ($810 million), up 53% from the second quarter ‌and above the 4.62 billion forecast in company-compiled consensus.

The pill makes up only ‌about 6% of expected sales, but analysts see it as Novo's main route back to growth, after a two-year slump of profit warnings and a leadership change. Novo, which at one point became ⁠Europe's ​most valuable listed company ⁠on booming Wegovy sales, is also trying to narrow a gap to Lilly, whose rival Foundayo ⁠pill is winning a growing share of new prescriptions.

Novo also raised its 2026 adjusted sales ​and adjusted operating profit to a range of between +2% to -2% at constant exchange rates, ⁠from a previous forecast of a 0% to 6% fall. It was the third time the ⁠company ​raised its full-year guidance. Adjusted operating profit was 31.72 billion Danish crowns, above the 28.39 billion projected by analysts and up 27% in constant exchange rates ⁠from a year earlier. Adjusted sales were 79.20 billion crowns against 73.22 billion expected.

"Growth was ⁠led by ⁠our obesity portfolio, with continued uptake of Wegovy pill in the US and encouraging early launches internationally," CEO Mike Doustdar said ‌in a ‌statement. ($1 = 6.6544 Danish crowns)