u/kiyomoris

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LONDON/NEW YORK, May 21 (Reuters) - Lower prices for weight-loss pills from Novo Nordisk, and Eli Lilly are prompting patients to switch from compounded medications to branded Wegovy and Foundayo, according to Reuters interviews with nine U.S. doctors.

Prices for the lowest doses of both Novo's oral Wegovy and Lilly's Foundayo tend to be lower than for their injected obesity medicines, and at par with those offered by pharmacies that mix the ingredients themselves and make ‌compounded versions.

As many patients struggle with declining insurance coverage, the lower-priced options have been a boon for the drugmakers, the doctors said.

Denmark's Novo and Indianapolis-based Lilly began selling the oral medications in the U.S. in January and April, respectively, and have boasted of strong demand from new patients.

Still, they have complained about compounded versions, which are allowed by the U.S. FDA in personalized formulations and doses. The Food and Drug Administration has sought to tighten limits after shortages of the branded drugs that allowed compounding to flourish ended.

"I am seeing people are switching from compounds," said Dr. Michael Weintraub, assistant clinical professor of endocrinology at NYU Langone in New York. He said he does not prescribe the compounded drugs but has seen patients who were already on them.

"I have patients increasingly coming to ⁠me saying, 'I hear it's not as expensive to get the pharmaceutical-grade branded version, can we switch over?'"

A Lilly spokesperson said the company was "encouraged by the early momentum, growing prescriber interest and intent to prescribe, and by patients choosing authentic, FDA-approved treatments like Foundayo."

Novo said it has expanded access to its GLP‑1 drugs through its NovoCare Pharmacy and retail partnerships, aimed at steering patients toward FDA‑approved treatments over compounded versions.

May 21st

The Singapore Court of Appeal has retained an injunction against KBP Bio and its founder, Dr Huang Zhenhua, and ruled that a lawsuit brought by Novo Nordisk will be taken to arbitration.

Last year, Novo Nordisk accused Singapore-based biotech KBP of concealing clinical data ahead of a $1.3 billion licensing agreement between the two companies focused on blood pressure drug candidate ocedurenone, claiming breach of warranty and misrepresentation, and seeking $830 million in damages.

The freezing order on KBP Bio and Huang's assets is intended to avert the risk of funds being moved or hidden before an arbitration judgment, and the appeals court has not issued any conclusions about the merits of the lawsuit, saying: "The judge is not making a finding of dishonesty: that is a matter for the [arbitration] decision-maker at a trial."

In a statement, KBP said in a statement that it is disappointed by the decision to maintain the injunction, but insisted that "Novo Nordisk's allegations of fraud remain unproven. The company is confident that these allegations of fraud will be firmly rejected when the matter is finally adjudicated."

In its complaint, Novo Nordisk contends that KBP knowingly failed to disclose interim data from a phase 2 clinical trial dating back to 2022 that Novo Nordisk claims shows that ocedurenone was unlikely to show efficacy, and also concealed quality and compliance issues at an investigation site that produced "anomalous positive results."

KBP claims the appeals court has "confirmed that Novo Nordisk had access to documents from KBP," including raw, patient-level data, and the company maintains that "provided all material information necessary for Novo Nordisk to make an informed decision to acquire ocedurenone."

At the time the licensing agreement was signed in October 2023, ocedurenone was being tested in the phase 3 CLARION-CKD trial in patients with uncontrolled hypertension and advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Novo Nordisk announced in June 2024 that it was halting CLARION-CKD after an independent data monitoring committee concluded that the trial met the criteria for futility, i.e. it did not meet its primary endpoint of change in systolic blood pressure from baseline to week 12.

The company took a DKK 5.7 billion ($797 million) charge in its interim results as a result, and confirmed it was abandoning the project a few months later.

AIFA stands for Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco, which translates to the Italian Medicines Agency. It is the official federal government body that regulates all human pharmaceuticals in Italy.

AIFA has produced the guide "New drugs for diabetes and obesity: what you need to know for informed use" (also available as a brochure), which provides an updated and comprehensive overview of the safety profile, authorized therapeutic indications, consumption trends, and proper clinical use of these drugs.

Overview of New Therapies

• For the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus: drugs such as Ozempic and Rybelsus (semaglutide), Mounjaro (tirzepatide), Victoza (liraglutide), Trulicity (dulaglutide), and Byetta/Bydureon (exenatide) are reimbursed by the National Health Service (Class A/PHT), according to AIFA Note 100. They can be prescribed by general practitioners and specialists.
• For weight management (obesity and overweight with comorbidities): drugs such as Wegovy (semaglutide), Saxenda (liraglutide), and Mounjaro (tirzepatide, prescribed for this specific indication) are not reimbursed by the NHS and are classified as class C, with costs borne by the patient.

 

Booming Consumption
Data shows significant growth in these medicines in recent years (2020-2024), both in the NHS reimbursed channel and in private purchases. The overall trend also highlights a progressive concentration on the drugs that have seen the fastest growth. For semaglutide alone, sales increased from approximately 322,000 packages reimbursed by the NHS in 2020 to over 4 million in 2024 (+48.9% in one year). A significant increase was also recorded in private purchases paid for by citizens, with semaglutide packages increasing from approximately 29,700 in 2020 to over 326,000 in 2024 (+78.4% compared to 2023), while tirzepatide, in its first year of marketing, exceeded 30,000 packages.

Furthermore, in 2024, within private purchases, there was a particularly marked increase (+142.8%) in drugs authorised for weight management compared to those without this indication, which could reflect a use more in line with the authorised indications.

Published on: May 18, 2026

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la Repubblica

(Teleborsa) - According to an analysis by international broker Freedom24, ASML, SAP, LVMH, Novo Nordisk, Siemens, TotalEnergies, and UniCredit represent a sort of European "Magnificent Seven ," a basket of large groups that are leaders in their respective sectors and have a strong global presence, capable of competing with US tech giants.

The results for the first quarter of 2026 show that the European champions are not simply surviving : they are shaping structural trends that extend far beyond Europe.

"The American Magnificent Seven are united by a single narrative: AI, platform effects, and a focus on technology. The European 'Seven' have a fundamentally different structure: they are diversified by sector within a single basket. There are common structural characteristics. All seven are undisputed global leaders in their respective sectors. All generate sustainable free cash flows. All operate on a global rather than regional scale. But their investment profiles differ radically. TotalEnergies benefits from the very factors—the oil shock—that are penalizing LVMH, namely the loss of the Middle Eastern market. Novo Nordisk faces price pressure in the largest US market just as UniCredit benefits from the same European cycle of high interest rates that is weighing on other sectors. ASML and SAP are the only two, among the seven, directly involved in the AI ​​infrastructure cycle as suppliers," explains Francesco Bergamini, Representative of Freedom24 in Italy (authorized tied agent), an international online brokerage firm.

Source: Finanza.repubblica.it

Published on: May 18, 2026

20th of May

To mark International Clinical Trials Day , Novo Nordisk has highlighted its role in promoting clinical research in Spain, in a context where the country is consolidating its European leadership in this field thanks to the sustained growth of investment in R&D and research activity.

The company has recorded a 77.6% increase in its R&D investment in 2025 compared to the previous year, accompanied by an 11.9% increase in the total number of clinical trials conducted in the country. This growth has focused particularly on therapeutic areas such as obesity and cardiovascular diseases, with increases of 200% and 14.3%, respectively. “At Novo Nordisk, we believe in clinical trials as the driving force behind healthcare innovation, and we know that their success depends on the active participation of all stakeholders in the system,” says Paula Barriga, General Manager of Novo Nordisk in Spain .

The executive emphasizes that collaboration with healthcare professionals and patients not only strengthens scientific evidence but also contributes to "democratizing patient access to innovation" in an ecosystem where Spain holds a leading position in Europe. According to data provided by the company, 2025 also saw a 17.7% increase in the number of researchers involved, a 23.7% increase in patient participation, and a 29% increase in the number of hospitals participating in its clinical trials in Spain.

Source: ConSalud

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+Ensayos (+trials)

With the support of nearly 30 entities, led by the Ministry of Health

Farmaindustria and 18 associated companies , with the support of almost thirty entities from the research ecosystem, presents +ensayos , an outreach and awareness platform created with the aim of bringing clinical research closer to society, highlighting the role of the people who make it possible and emphasizing the impact it has on the countries in which it is developed.

+ensayos was created as a platform open to the membership of entities and organizations that share a commitment to clinical research and the need to strengthen its social recognition. The initiative already has the support of the Ministry of Health, the Carlos III Health Institute and the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS), as well as the collaboration of almost thirty entities, including patient organizations, scientific societies and professional councils and research networks and groups, which are: the General Council of Official Colleges of Physicians, the General Council of Colleges of Pharmacists and the IDIS Foundation, as well as scientific societies such as the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), the Spanish Society of Hematology and Hemotherapy (SEHH), the Spanish Society of Internal Medicine (SEMI), the Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine (Semfyc), the Spanish Society of Primary Care Physicians (Semergen), the Spanish Society of General and Family Physicians (SEMG) and the Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy (SEFH).

Also part of this support are the Network of Clinical Research Management Entities (Regic), the Spanish Clinical Research Network (Scren), the Spanish Network of Pediatric Clinical Trials (Reclip), KIDS Barcelona and KIDS Madrid, along with cancer research organizations such as the Spanish Association for Cancer Research (ASEICA), the Digestive Tumor Treatment Group (TTD), the Solti Group, the Spanish Breast Cancer Research Group (GEICAM), and the Spanish Lung Cancer Group (GECP). The list is completed by patient organizations and social groups such as the Spanish Patients' Forum (FEP), the Spanish Group of Patients with Cancer (GEPAC), ImpacTE Spain, the Más que Ideas Foundation, and the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC).

+Ensayos is an initiative coordinated by Farmaindustria, which would not be possible without the support of 18 of its member companies: AbbVie, Almirall, Amgen, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Faes Farma, GSK, Johnson & Johnson, MSD, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi and Servier.

The Danish registry study covered a three-year period tracking patients from December 2022 up through 2025. During those exact years, 2.4 mg was the maximum approved maintenance dose on the market. The newly approved 7.2 mg dose wasn't available to everyday patients in Denmark during the timeframe of this specific study.

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20th May

Only a small proportion of Danish patients are following the treatment plan and reaching the highest dose of Novo Nordisk’s weight-loss drug Wegovy.

This is shown by a new Danish registry study that was recently presented at the annual European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2026), reports industry media Dagens Pharma.

According to the study, which covers the period from December 2022 and three years forward, only 8.5% of Danish Wegovy patients have reached the highest dose of the weight-loss drug, 2.4 mg, by the time they fill their fifth prescription.

In addition, between 40 and 50 % of patients remained on the intermediate dose of 1.0 mg from the fourth prescription onward during this period, the study shows.

“We can see that many users remain on lower doses than the recommended escalation plan suggests. We cannot determine why based on the data. It may be related to sufficient weight loss, concerns about side effects, and financial considerations, where patients and their doctors choose to stay at a lower dose level rather than increase it further,” says Emma Simonsen, one of the researchers behind the study and a Ph.D. student at the University of Southern Denmark, according to Dagens Pharma.

Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy is administered in five doses, with the initial starting dose at 0.25 mg and the maximum maintenance dose at 2.4 mg.

The study also shows that approximately 55% of Danish Wegovy patients are still on treatment after one year.

Novo Nordisk has previously reported that approximately one-third of all Wegovy patients remain on treatment after one year.

NEW YORK, May 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Two pharmaceutical companies — Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly — now own nearly 100% of GLP-1 citations inside the AI tools where Americans research weight loss, according to The Weight Loss & Metabolic Health AI Visibility Index 2026, released today by 5W, the premier AI communications and GEO firm in the United States.

The index ranks the top 25 U.S. brands in the weight loss and metabolic health category by their share of citations across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews. It is the fourth installment in 5W's AI Visibility Index series, following editions on Legal Tech, Real Estate and Fintech.

Five GLP-1 receptor agonists — Wegovy, Zepbound, Ozempic, Mounjaro and Saxenda — together capture roughly 57% of all category citations. The four leading brands alone capture 55%. Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are the only sources of FDA-approved options for chronic weight management and the only sources of the peer-reviewed clinical trial data — STEP, SURMOUNT and SELECT — that AI models cite as evidence.

The Top 15 by AI Citation Share:

1. Wegovy — 19.0%
2. Zepbound — 16.0%
3. Ozempic — 13.0%
4. Mounjaro — 7.0%
5. Noom — 7.0%
6. WeightWatchers — 7.0%
7. MyFitnessPal — 6.0%
8. Lose It! — 3.0%
9. Cronometer — 2.0%
10. Simple — 2.0%
11. Saxenda — 2.0%
12. Factor — 1.5%
13. Optavia — 1.5%
14. Jenny Craig — 1.0%
15. Nutrisystem — 1.0%

The remaining ~11% of citation share is split across ranks 16–25 and unranked brands. Telehealth providers and compounded-medication marketplaces are excluded from this edition and will be covered in a forthcoming index.

19th of May

Novo Nordisk wanted to accelerate pharmaceutical R&D decision-making by helping researchers explore and validate clinical hypotheses faster using AI-assisted quantitative analysis.

Working with the AI Acceleration Studio of the Forward Deployed Engineering team, Novo Nordisk developed a governed reasoning agent on Azure that allows experts to analyze clinical data while maintaining rigor, oversight, and compliance.

The solution is reducing time to insight from weeks to minutes, increasing analytical throughput, and helping Novo Nordisk evaluate more high-value opportunities earlier in the drug development process.

19th of May

Just saw a great macro piece from Forbes Portugal (written by market specialist João Lampreia) that officially groups Novo Nordisk into a newly defined European "Magnificent Seven" (alongside ASML, SAP, LVMH, Siemens, TotalEnergies, and UniCredit).

The author argues that while the US Mag 7 is tightly bound by a single AI narrative, Europe's elite core offers an integrated, highly diversified safety net for global capital.

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While the US market debates the concentration of market capitalization in the “Magnificent Seven,” Europe is forming its own group of companies comparable in terms of market weight, sector coverage, and investment relevance. ASML, SAP, LVMH, Novo Nordisk, Siemens, TotalEnergies, and UniCredit are seven companies with a combined market capitalization of trillions of euros, global leaders in their sectors. First-quarter 2026 results show that these European champions are not just surviving – they are shaping structural trends that extend far beyond Europe.

Given this structural heterogeneity – which contrasts sharply with the unifying technological narrative of the American “Magnificent Seven” – it becomes essential to understand how each contributes to strengthening European weight in global markets and to consolidating this new “hard core” of European capital.

The US “Magnificent Seven” are united by a single narrative: artificial intelligence, platforms, and technology. The European companies, in contrast, present a distinct structure, based on sectoral diversification within the same group.

Novo Nordisk continues to be a major growth driver in the healthcare sector, driven by diabetes and obesity medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy. In the early 2020 period, sales reached approximately Danish kroner 96.8 billion, with very strong volume growth. However, revenue growth was pressured by price declines, reflecting an initial phase of increased market competition. The company has slightly revised its annual forecasts upwards, but faces the challenge of balancing volume expansion with price erosion.

Nevertheless, there are common structural characteristics: all are undisputed global leaders in their respective sectors, generate sustainable free cash flows, and operate on a truly global, not just regional, scale.

However, their investment profiles differ significantly. TotalEnergies benefits from dynamics that penalize LVMH, such as pressure on consumption in key markets. Novo Nordisk faces price pressure in its largest market, while UniCredit benefits directly from a European cycle of high interest rates, which in turn penalizes other sectors. ASML and SAP are the only two directly exposed to the artificial intelligence infrastructure cycle as suppliers.

It is precisely this heterogeneity that underpins a portfolio approach for the European “Big Seven”: unlike its North American counterpart, where a drop in sentiment around AI simultaneously affects all companies, the European portfolio offers integrated sectoral diversification – and that is where its strength lies.

The European “Magnificent Seven” are not just a marketing construct. They are seven globally competitive companies, each with a dominant position in its sector, as evidenced by recent financial results. ASML is a monopoly in EUV, SAP is a leader in cloud ERP, LVMH is the world's largest luxury group, Novo Nordisk is a protagonist in the GLP-1 revolution, Siemens is a benchmark in industrial technology, TotalEnergies is among the most profitable integrated energy companies, and UniCredit stands out as one of the most efficient large banks in the eurozone in terms of RoTE.

None of them replace the American tech giants. But, together, they form an investment case that is increasingly difficult to ignore: European leadership in sectors where the US has no equivalent competitors or where it faces structural disadvantages.

19th of May

WASHINGTON -- Men treated with GLP-1 receptor agonists had significant increases in testosterone levels, according to findings from a retrospective analysis.

Among men who received semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) or tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound), median total testosterone increased from 320 to 419 ng/dL and median free testosterone increased from 9.0 to 10.4 ng/dL (P<0.001 for both), reported Andrés Heriberto Guillén-Lozoya, MD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, at the American Urological Association annual meeting.

After adjusting for age and body mass index (BMI), total testosterone increased by a median of 97.6 ng/dL, while free testosterone increased by 1.3 ng/dL (P<0.001 for both).

Meanwhile, median BMI decreased from 33.6 to 30.4 (P<0.001).

At baseline, patients with lower BMI tended to have higher testosterone levels overall, Guillén-Lozoya observed.

However, "one of the most interesting findings from our study was that changes in testosterone were not directly correlated with BMI reduction alone," he noted. "What this suggests is that the hormonal improvement observed may not be explained solely by weight loss."

Guillén-Lozoya said his team's leading hypothesis is "testosterone improvement is slightly multifactorial."

"Weight reduction and reduced adiposity probably contributed significantly, but additional mechanisms may also be involved, such as improved insulin sensitivity, reduced inflammation, reduced aromatization for the adipose tissue, and potentially a restoration or improvement of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis," he explained.

While the effects of GLP-1 receptor agonists on glycemic control and weight reduction have been well established, "much less is known about their impact in men's health," Guillén-Lozoya said, in explaining the rationale behind the study. "This is particularly important because obesity, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome are strongly associated with functional hypogonadism and reduced testosterone levels in men.

"GLP-1 receptor agonists may have favorable effects in these male patients, particularly in obese and metabolically complicated men," he added. "As the use of these medications continues to expand worldwide, understanding their broader implications in men's health will become increasingly important."

Three leading Saudi medical associations have joined forces with Novo Nordisk Saudi Arabia to raise community awareness about fatty liver disease and its relationship to obesity; a liver disease that is widespread locally and often develops quietly without clear symptoms among the most obese segments of society.

The Saudi Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and Transplantation, the Saudi Scientific Society for Diabetes, and the Saudi Society for the Study of Obesity all came together to deliver a unified message that “hepatitis is a disease that can be prevented and treated, provided it is diagnosed in its early stages.

The experts called for the integration of routine liver health assessments into regular consultations for patients with obesity or type 2 diabetes, along with strengthening collaboration between primary care physicians, liver specialists, endocrinologists, and obesity specialists.

In this context, Dr. Faisal Aba Al-Khail, President of the Saudi Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and Transplantation, said that fatty liver disease is a silent disease, “but it is serious and is often diagnosed at very late stages. We already have access to the majority of at-risk patients through primary care centers, who are obese or diabetic. By improving screening mechanisms and raising awareness, we have a real opportunity to intervene before the disease worsens.

The conference also highlighted a significant and tangible development in the treatment landscape: Novo Nordisk's once-weekly GLP-1-like peptide receptor agonist for obesity is the first and only drug approved by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) for the treatment of obesity and associated fatty liver disease. This approval was based on the results of the ESSENCE study, which demonstrated the drug's ability to achieve significant improvement in liver tissue, in addition to its proven weight-loss benefits.

On the sidelines of the press conference, the Saudi Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and Transplantation and Novo Nordisk Saudi Arabia formalized their collaboration by signing a memorandum of understanding, which established a framework for joint non-promotional and evidence-based activities in 2026. These activities include educational events, newsletters for healthcare professionals, public awareness campaigns about the disease, and support for the development of a national evidence-based clinical care pathway for fatty liver disease.

GENEVA – UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, today announced three major new partnerships to improve refugee health outcomes with the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the World Diabetes Foundation and Novo Nordisk.

These three partnerships, bringing investments of $28 million, will significantly strengthen access to essential health care for millions of refugees and host communities across five countries in East Africa: Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda. These countries are among the largest refugee hosts in the region, welcoming more than 2.3 million forcibly displaced people. This situation underscores the importance of continued international investment in the transition to national health systems that are also accessible to refugees.

Implemented over a three-year period, the partnerships share three overarching priorities:

Improving prevention and management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), primarily diabetes and hypertension (high blood pressure), which are the most common chronic diseases;

Strengthening UNHCR-supported and national health facilities in refugee-hosting areas through training of healthcare workers and infrastructure upgrades, including provision of medical equipment and promoting inclusion of refugees into the national health systems so they gain equal access to health.

The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs also supports UNHCR's efforts to improve health for displaced people in Eastern Africa and collaborates, in accordance with its development strategy, with the Danish private and philanthropic actors, for example, as part of the Alliance for Inclusive Refugee Response in Kenya.

The support from the Danish private sector and philanthropic partners comes at a critical time, as NCDs are on the rise and are the leading cause of death, accounting for 74 per cent of global mortality, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). People forced to flee often have very limited possibilities of being diagnosed and treated. As a result, they risk a lower quality of life or dying prematurely from these kinds of diseases, many of which could have been prevented or at least treated in time.

(...)

The collaboration brings together the complementary strengths of the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the World Diabetes Foundation and Novo Nordisk in support of UNHCR’s efforts to secure the inclusion of refugees in universal health coverage and ultimately advance their self-reliance.

18th of May

The European Congress on Obesity (ECO) 2026 has historically focused primarily on weight reduction. However, this year, a shift in tone was evident with obesity increasingly being framed not as a condition defined by body mass index (BMI), but as a systemic illness demanding organ-level intervention across multiple comorbidities.

Industry symposia echoed this year’s ECO focus on shifting the obesity management framework, exploring this emerging philosophy. Two companies, Madrigal and Novo Nordisk, with recent approvals in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), Rezdiffra and Wegovy, respectively, drew physicians’ attention to the risk of patients with obesity developing MASH, where early diagnosis is critical.

(...)

Novo Nordisk’s symposium opened with a consensus statement from the International Obesity Collaborative declaring that weight loss is merely one outcome of obesity care, not its goal. The central argument was that obesity and its complications have long been managed individually and that this fragmented approach fails patients whose risk is fundamentally systemic. Novo Nordisk continued by reporting evidence across cardiovascular, hepatic, and functional endpoints, including SELECT for major adverse cardiovascular events reduction, STEP-HFpEF for heart failure benefits beyond weight loss, and ESSENCE for liver histology and broader cardiometabolic improvement. This data supports a multidisciplinary and holistic treatment approach to obesity, where hepatologists, cardiologists, endocrinologists, and primary care physicians coordinate a patient-centred care pathway, rather than operating in individual silos.

Together, the two symposia reflect a broader shift in how obesity is being understood and managed, no longer as a condition defined by weight alone, but as a systemic disease with serious consequences across multiple organs. With the number of patients living with MASH projected to rise substantially through 2030, driven by the parallel growth of obesity and type 2 diabetes, the need for earlier identification has become more important than ever. According to GlobalData’s Pharma Intelligence Center, the total number of diagnosed prevalent cases of MASH in all ages is projected to reach about 229 million by 2032.

18th of May

Judges extend 10 years of protection for Ozempic and Wegovy

Last week, there were surely leaps of joy at the offices of the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk in Polanco, Mexico City, as the First Collegiate Court for Administrative Matters of the First Circuit decided to grant 10 years of data protection to its GLP-1 drugs Ozempic and Wegovy (indicated for diabetes and obesity). This means it will still be some time before these drugs become more affordable and accessible. What surprises lawyers in the sector is that the decision was strangely based on an article of the USMCA that never came into effect, because it was eliminated through the amending protocol to the USMCA. We are told that the Specialized Chamber for Intellectual Property Matters (SEPI) still needs to issue a new ruling ordering Cofepris (the Federal Commission for Protection against Sanitary Risks) to recognize the protection. If so, in principle, Ozempic would expire on June 13, 2029, and Wegovy on January 13, 2033.

18th of May

Novo Nordisk has told CNBC how it is preparing to go “all in” on launching its Wegovy pill outside the U.S, as the battle for dominance of the weight-loss market goes global.

“When we launch, we’ll go all in,” Novo’s Executive Vice President for International Operations, Emil Kongshøj Larsen, told CNBC in an interview on Tuesday. “It’s a major opportunity.”

Novo announced last week that it expects to start the first launches outside of the U.S. later this year, pending approvals, after the pill continues to impress with unparalleled U.S. uptake.

The U.S. market accounts for more than half of the sales of both Novo and its chief rival Eli Lilly

. But the companies are now looking increasingly to expand the market for weight-loss drugs that have revolutionized the pharmaceutical space in recent years.

Larsen wouldn’t name specific countries where Novo might launch the Wegovy pill first, saying the drugmaker will “go according to potential,” highlighting factors such as patient interest in obesity treatment, how well-trained doctors are, and the existence of potential telehealth partners.

Larsen said that telehealth had been one way of broadening access to patients, saying that, in Germany, “it’s been slow for a while, and all of a sudden, telehealth helps patients get access to treatment in a way that is very convenient and appreciated.”

Larsen said that Novo expects a “very strong uptake” of the Wegovy pill internationally but not necessarily with the same kind of curve as in the U.S.

He said the U.S. isn’t a good comparison with other countries because uptake will depend on the relative price difference compared to injectable versions.

“We’re not detailing our pricing approach so far, but you could say in the U.S., there’s a fantastic product, but there’s also another price point compared to injectable treatments.”

He predicted international sales could have “an optic curve that’s maybe slightly more bent than the U.S. curve.”

Sydbank analyst Soren Hansen told CNBC on Wednesday that Wegovy’s launch outside the U.S. could be “more selective” and will reflect the company’s “ability to meet the demand.” He highlighted big European markets such as the U.K. and Germany as likely early markets for launch, as well as Novo’s home country, Denmark.

Larsen told CNBC that Novo saw most growth for obesity GLP-1s coming from cash-paying customers, as opposed to those covered by national healthcare systems or insurers.

“Even in socialized healthcare systems like the Danish, 99% of all patients are paying out of pocket. We wouldn’t have imagined that a few years back, when we started with obesity care,” he added.