Novo Nordisk Q1 2026 earnings beat on Wegovy pill demand

Novo Nordisk raised its full-year guidance connected Wednesday aft first-quarter income of its Wegovy value nonaccomplishment pill came successful good up of expectations, sending the Danish drugmaker's banal up astir 7% successful Copenhagen trading.

During the archetypal quarter, the pill — which entered the U.S. marketplace successful January — tallied astir 1.3 cardinal prescriptions and brought successful 2.26 cardinal Danish kroner ($353.6 million) successful revenue, the institution said. Analysts polled by Reuters had projected pill income of conscionable 1.16 cardinal kroner, meaning the effect came successful astatine astir doubly that level, according to CNBC. Cumulative prescriptions since the pill's motorboat person surpassed 2 million, Novo Nordisk said, calling it the strongest-ever GLP-1 measurement motorboat successful the U.S.

Reported first-quarter nett income reached 96.82 cardinal kroner, a 24% increase, and operating nett came to 59.62 cardinal kroner, up 54%. A $4.2 cardinal reversal of a proviso tied to the U.S. 340B Drug Pricing Program — treated arsenic a non-recurring point — inflated some figures. Once stripped out, constant-currency adjusted income and adjusted operating nett each declined, by 4% and 6% respectively.

On an adjusted basis, operating nett reached 32.86 cardinal kroner — clearing the 28.74 cardinal kroner mean estimation from a company-compiled expert poll, according to Reuters.

For the afloat year, the institution narrowed the little extremity of its outlook, guiding for adjusted income and operating nett to autumn betwixt 4% and 12% successful constant-currency presumption — versus the erstwhile scope of minus 5% to minus 13%. The revised outlook reflects accrued expectations for GLP-1 merchandise sales, the institution said.

"The beardown Wegovy performance, combined with continued maturation successful International Operations, has led america to rise our 2026 guidance for some adjusted income and adjusted operating profit," CEO Mike Doustdar said successful a statement. Speaking to CNBC, Doustdar noted that pill income person maintained double-digit maturation momentum adjacent aft Eli Lilly brought its competing oral obesity drug, Foundayo, to the U.S. marketplace successful April. Doustdar said the Wegovy marque accounts for 65% of caller U.S. prescriptions successful the category.

The injectable mentation of Wegovy posted a 12% year-over-year gross gain, reaching 18.2 cardinal kroner. Sales of diabetes cause Ozempic fell 8% but came successful supra expert expectations, according to The Wall Street Journal. International operations income grew 6% connected a changeless currency basis, driven by higher volumes.

Geographic enlargement of the pill beyond the U.S. is targeted for the second portion of 2026, contingent connected regulatory sign-off successful each market, Novo Nordisk said.

The results people a infinitesimal of betterment for a institution that has faced important headwinds. Shares had shed astir 40% of their worth implicit the anterior twelvemonth — a descent that, measured from the company's 2024 peak, wiped retired much than $400 cardinal successful marketplace capitalization, according to Reuters, amid a drawstring of setbacks including objective proceedings disappointments and gross shortfalls. Novo Nordisk besides announced a concern with OpenAI successful April to use artificial quality crossed its operations, from cause find to manufacturing, arsenic portion of a broader effort to regain crushed against Eli Lilly. Lilly raised its ain full-year gross guidance past week aft first-quarter gross grew 56% to $19.8 cardinal connected beardown request for its obesity and diabetes treatments.