Novo Nordisk raised its 2026 outlook following strong sales of its Wegovy pill

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Novo Nordisk made its third 2026 outlook increase this year on Wednesday after sales of its Wegovy weight-loss pill beat third-quarter forecasts, bolstering its effort to regain ground on U.S. rival Eli Lilly. The pill, launched in the United States in January, generated 5.39 billion Danish crowns ($810 million), up 53% from the second quarter and above the 4.62 billion-crown consensus estimate. Its revised forecast puts adjusted sales and operating profit between 2% growth and 2% decline at constant exchange rates, compared with its previous forecast of flat growth to a 6% decline. Third-quarter adjusted sales were 79.20 billion crowns, above the 73.22 billion expected, while adjusted operating profit rose 27% to 31.72 billion crowns. CEO Mike Doustdar said growth was led by obesity medicines and continued uptake of the pill in the U.S. U.S. injectable Wegovy sales fell 13% at constant exchange rates.