Novo Nordisk posts DKK 33,389m profit

Novo Nordisk raised its 2026 outlook after reporting adjusted operating profit of DKK 33,389 million for the second quarter, as stronger U.S. GLP-1 sales supported the business. The Danish drugmaker announced the results on August 4 and said adjusted sales rose 7% at constant exchange rates in the quarter. (novonordisk.com) The shares still fell more than 4% in Copenhagen trading on August 5, according to reports carried by Yahoo Finance from GuruFocus, as investors focused on pipeline impairments and questions about the company’s next wave of products. (finance.yahoo.com) (novonordisk.com) Mike Doustdar, Novo Nordisk’s chief executive, also told the company’s earnings call that Novo was not in a position to pursue large-scale, transformative acquisitions, even as it continued to review smaller bolt-on deals. ### If profit rose and guidance improved, why did the shares fall? (novonordisk.com) Novo Nordisk’s upgraded guidance covered both adjusted sales and adjusted operating profit for 2026, with management now expecting a smaller decline than it forecast earlier in the year. Yahoo Finance’s summary of the quarter said investors looked past the better guidance and focused on pipeline concerns and competition. (finance.yahoo.com) DKK 6.3 billion in non-cash pipeline impairments weighed on sentiment, including DKK 4 billion linked to monlunabant, according to the same report. The article also said the ZEUS cardiovascular trial failed to meet its primary endpoint, adding to scrutiny of Novo’s development pipeline. (finance.yahoo.com) ### What in the quarter did Novo say was working? Adjusted sales of DKK 78.49 billion were driven by GLP-1 volume growth across geographies and favorable U.S. rebate adjustments in the quarter, according to Novo’s August 4 company announcement carried by Yahoo Finance. Reported sales increased 3% at constant exchange rates, with the comparison affected by a DKK 2.6 billion rebate provision reversal related to the U.S. 340B Drug Pricing Program in the second quarter of 2025. (finance.yahoo.com) U.S. demand for oral Wegovy remained a key data point. Pharmaceutical Technology’s report on the earnings call said weekly U.S. prescriptions had exceeded 265,000 by mid-July, while James Millar, executive vice president of U.S. operations, said cumulative prescriptions had topped 5 million. (finance.yahoo.com) ### What did Doustdar say about acquisitions? Doustdar said Novo was active in reviewing external opportunities but was not ready for a transformative deal. “I’m very proud of our internal R&D and pipeline, but no company has a monopoly on good ideas,” he said on the earnings call, according to Pharmaceutical Technology’s report carried by Yahoo Finance. (finance.yahoo.com) The same report quoted Doustdar as saying Novo was “in every data room” to assess assets that could complement internal research, while adding that the company would need to be in “a very different situation” before pursuing large-scale M&A. (finance.yahoo.com) ### Which pipeline setbacks were hanging over the update? July 31 brought another blow when Novo said ziltivekimab had failed a Phase III trial, according to a report indexed in search results. Pharmaceutical Technology’s August 5 article also said CagriSema had fallen short in a non-inferiority trial against Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide. (finance.yahoo.com) Those setbacks came as Novo tried to show commercial momentum in obesity and diabetes. Yahoo Finance’s market report said investors were asking what would follow Wegovy and Ozempic, even after another quarter of strong GLP-1 sales. (finance.yahoo.com) ### When does Novo report next? Novo Nordisk’s investor calendar says the company will report third-quarter 2026 results on November 4, 2026. The same calendar lists a Capital Markets Day for September 21, 2026, when executive management and other senior leaders are due to review strategy, operations and financial targets. (novonordisk.com) (finance.yahoo.com) (msn.com)