The End of Obesity? Novo Nordisk’s Wild Ride
Novo Nordisk Founded in Denmark, Novo Nordisk traces its roots back to the 1920s discovery of insulin. It became today’s Novo Nordisk via a 1989 merger of two early insulin-makers. Today Novo is best known for its blockbuster GLP-1 drugs: weekly injections like Ozempic (semaglutide for type 2 diabetes) and Wegovy (higher-dose semaglutide for obesity). Over the past few years, they rode the wave of skyrocketing obesity rates and shifting attitudes toward weight loss. This led to a surge in sales and global demand. Novo Nordisk was also Europe’s most valuable company at one point. The Rise: How Semaglutide Changed the Game Mechanism: Semaglutide mimics an intestinal hormone to boost insulin release and supress appetite. Blockbuster launch: Ozempic (for type 2 diabetes) broke $10 billion in sales within its first two years. Wegovy (for obesity) doubled in sales year-over-y...