New NordiskU.S. stocks fell on Tuesday evening after the company reported lower sales and revenue growth, after expectations that sales would take a hit.
The company released the forecast ahead of an expected quarterly report on Wednesday morning, as it reported full year 2025 sales.
American Depository Shares of Novo were down 11% at 12:05 a.m. ET. The results were announced after the closing bell in Copenhagen, where the company has its main listing.
His guess seems to be that of a Danish drugmaker struggling to recover his leg as a leading manufacturer of weight loss drugs in the face of fierce competition.
In 2025, according to the company’s management, sales will increase by 10%, and operating income will increase by 6%.
In 2026, the drugmaker sees a 5% to 13% decline in sales at constant exchange rates.
“The forecast reflects the expectation of sales growth in international operations and sales declines in US operations,” Novo said in a statement.
The maker of Ozempic has bankrolled the recall of its Wegovy pill and next-generation weight-loss injectable CagriSema. Market share in the US – and revive its slumping stock price.
Shares in Novo are down 46.5% in the past year, driven by a number of stocks instructional abbreviations, leadership upheavals and increased competition, but regained some ground after being the first company to launch it oral GLP-1 treatment for obesity in the US market.
Novo launched an oral version of its blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy in the U.S. in early January, and despite a promising startthe market is closely watching how Novo Nordisk fares with its American rival Eli Lillyit is expected to launch its own weight loss pill in the first half of 2026.
“Investors will want to see them capitalize on this opportunity in the direct-to-patient (mostly self-pay or cash-only) channel, closing the widening gap between them and Lilly in this channel in 2025,” said Morningstar analyst Karen Andersen.
Mounting pressure
Wegovy and Ozempic’s active ingredient Semaglutide will lose exclusivity in markets such as Canada, Brazil and China in 2026. Together significant price pressure in its biggest market, the US, analysts expect sales growth to moderate to single digits this year after several years of much higher growth.
Barclays analyst James Gordon said in the release that Novo’s guidance is expected to crystallize further downgrades, but could also act as a clearing event given “significant investor concerns” about this year’s outlook.
“The (guidance) cuts are likely to be at least partially mitigated by investors taking advantage of the US launch of Oral Wegovy this year and potential US volume acquisitions of injectable Wegovy.”
Over the past 18 months, Novo has come under pressure as rival Eli Lilly’s US weight-loss rival tirzepatitis – marketed as Munjaro and Zepbound – produces more weight loss than Novo’s drugs and overtakes Novo in US market share.
This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.