Novo Nordisk Faces Setback: CEO's Bold Strategy Amid Obesity Drug War

In a surprising move, Novo Nordisk has adjusted its full-year profit forecasts downward, marking an early challenge for the new CEO Mike Doustdar. This comes during a significant restructuring phase aimed at recovering from a tough competitive landscape in the obesity drug market.

Doustdar, who has been in charge since August, attributes the lowered guidance to decreased growth expectations for GLP-1 treatments. Despite this setback, he stated the company’s commitment to accelerating efforts to maintain competitive advantage in an increasingly saturated market.

The revised outlook anticipates a full-year operating profit growth of 4% to 7% in 2025, down from an earlier estimate of 10% to 16%. Third-quarter sales reveal a slight rise, yet share value struggles, reflecting heightened competition from Eli Lilly and similar treatments.