Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical company behind obesity drugs, revised its full-year sales and profit projections on Wednesday, citing weak U.S. prescription data. Despite this, the company reported a first-quarter operating profit that exceeded analyst expectations.
CEO Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen stated, “In the first quarter of 2025, we delivered 18% sales growth and continued to expand the reach of our innovative GLP-1 treatments.” However, he added that the company’s updated outlook was influenced by lower-than-expected sales penetration for its branded GLP-1 drugs, which is being impacted by the rapid rise of compounding in the U.S.
As a result, Novo Nordisk has lowered its forecast for 2025 sales growth to a range of 13% to 21%, down from the previously predicted 16% to 24%. The company now expects operating profit growth between 16% and 24% for the year, compared to an earlier range of 19% to 27%.
In its first-quarter earnings, Novo reported an EBIT (earnings before interest and taxation) of 38.79 billion Danish crowns ($5.90 billion), surpassing the company’s own forecast of 37.20 billion crowns. This marked a 22% year-over-year increase.
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