Novo Nordisk Sees Sharp Revenue Decline as Pricing Pressure Mounts
Denmark-based pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk is predicting a significant drop in revenue for 2026 due to a range of factors including the impact of US President Donald Trump's push to lower weight-loss drug prices, rising competition, and the loss of patent protections.
The company's CEO, Mike Doustdar, described the current pricing pressure as "painful," but emphasized that it would ultimately benefit the business in the long run. Despite this, Novo Nordisk's share price plummeted 17% on Wednesday, wiping out all gains made so far this year, and the stock has lost nearly 50% of its value over the past year.
The company's woes are largely attributed to Trump's administration's efforts to reduce the cost of weight-loss drugs, which has led to a significant decrease in prices. This, coupled with rising competition from rival companies like Eli Lilly, has resulted in Novo Nordisk losing market share and facing increased pricing pressure.
Furthermore, the expiration of patent protections for Novo Nordisk's obesity and diabetes medications in several countries, including India, will allow generic drugmakers to produce cheaper versions of its products. The company's sales growth is expected to slow significantly, with some analysts predicting a decline of up to 13%.
In contrast, Eli Lilly is forecasting stronger-than-expected sales and profit growth for this year, driven by the success of its new weight loss medication, Mounjaro. The company's share price rose 9.5% on Wednesday.
Novo Nordisk's outlook highlights the challenges facing the pharmaceutical industry in recent years, as companies grapple with increasing competition, rising costs, and shifting market dynamics. Despite these pressures, some analysts remain optimistic about the potential for growth in weight loss treatments and diabetes medications, particularly with the launch of new products like Novo Nordisk's Wegovy pill.
The Wegovy pill, which was launched earlier this year, has shown promising results, with over 50,000 US prescriptions filled each week. However, the company's pricing strategy is still under pressure, with some critics arguing that it is not aggressive enough to keep pace with rising competition.
Denmark-based pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk is predicting a significant drop in revenue for 2026 due to a range of factors including the impact of US President Donald Trump's push to lower weight-loss drug prices, rising competition, and the loss of patent protections.
The company's CEO, Mike Doustdar, described the current pricing pressure as "painful," but emphasized that it would ultimately benefit the business in the long run. Despite this, Novo Nordisk's share price plummeted 17% on Wednesday, wiping out all gains made so far this year, and the stock has lost nearly 50% of its value over the past year.
The company's woes are largely attributed to Trump's administration's efforts to reduce the cost of weight-loss drugs, which has led to a significant decrease in prices. This, coupled with rising competition from rival companies like Eli Lilly, has resulted in Novo Nordisk losing market share and facing increased pricing pressure.
Furthermore, the expiration of patent protections for Novo Nordisk's obesity and diabetes medications in several countries, including India, will allow generic drugmakers to produce cheaper versions of its products. The company's sales growth is expected to slow significantly, with some analysts predicting a decline of up to 13%.
In contrast, Eli Lilly is forecasting stronger-than-expected sales and profit growth for this year, driven by the success of its new weight loss medication, Mounjaro. The company's share price rose 9.5% on Wednesday.
Novo Nordisk's outlook highlights the challenges facing the pharmaceutical industry in recent years, as companies grapple with increasing competition, rising costs, and shifting market dynamics. Despite these pressures, some analysts remain optimistic about the potential for growth in weight loss treatments and diabetes medications, particularly with the launch of new products like Novo Nordisk's Wegovy pill.
The Wegovy pill, which was launched earlier this year, has shown promising results, with over 50,000 US prescriptions filled each week. However, the company's pricing strategy is still under pressure, with some critics arguing that it is not aggressive enough to keep pace with rising competition.
Novo Nordisk's decline is long overdue, if you ask me. The fact that Trump's administration can just dictate lower prices and they still manage to rake it in is wild. And don't even get me started on the patent thing - it's like they think we're not smart enough to figure out cheaper alternatives ourselves 
their revenue decline prediction for 2026 sounds super grim and I feel bad for the employees who are gonna be affected by this 
I mean, as a productivity preacher, I always preach about finding ways to save money and make ends meet, but it's one thing when you're just an individual trying to budget, and another when it's a big company like Novo Nordisk 
And it just highlights how unpredictable the pharmaceutical industry can be - one day you're on top of your game, and the next, you're fighting to stay afloat 
) because they've got some solid products under their belt, like Wegovy 
. Fingers crossed for them! 
anyway, I think the industry is gonna be all about competition and prices for a while now 
but Eli Lilly's Mounjaro seems to be doing alright 
. Remember when weight loss meds were all anyone could talk about? It feels like just yesterday Novo Nordisk's Wegovy pill was the hottest thing since sliced bread 
. Now it's like, what's the point of even having a weight loss medication if the prices are gonna get slashed left and right? 
And don't even get me started on the competition from Eli Lilly - that guy's got skills 
. I mean, can't they just make some decent profits without having to sacrifice their shareholders' interests? It's all so... complicated 
- companies are gonna get knocked out one by one until only the strongest ones are left standing. Maybe it's time for some innovation instead of just relying on generic versions of existing meds 
. It's not all doom and gloom though - their new Wegovy pill is actually doing pretty well. Still, it's gotta be tough to see share prices tank like that 
first, trump's weight loss drug price cuts are making it hard for them to turn a profit, but now generic versions of their meds are coming in cheaper. it's like they're stuck in the middle. 
wonder if eli lilly's new product is really gonna help them shake things up 
Their Wegovy pill is already killing it 
With Eli Lilly doing so well, Novo Nordisk can use that as motivation 
to step up their game and focus on R&D 
Maybe this is a chance for them to create more affordable meds without sacrificing quality 
Fingers crossed 
but honestly, can we talk about how much i love the 90s-early 2000s music scene for my nostalgia vibes? 
.
. And what's up with this Wegovy pill? Is it really worth the hype or just another expensive treatment option? 
we'll just have to wait and see how things play out in 2026 
. But now, with Trump's price cut and Eli Lilly launching their own weight loss medication, it's getting harder to afford them 
. But for Novo Nordisk, they need to step up their pricing game if they want to stay competitive. I'm not sure if they'll be able to do it, but it's definitely worth trying.