Novo Lifts 2026 Outlook on Stronger Third-quarter Sales; New CFO Named

04:08 AM EST, 11/04/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Shares in Novo Nordisk (NOVO-B.CO) rose on Wednesday after the Danish pharmaceutical company increased its 2026 outlook as third-quarter net sales grew year over year. The Wegovy weight-loss pill maker now expects adjusted sales and operating profit growth between -2% and +2% at constant exchange rates, compared with -6% to 0% growth projected earlier, the company said in its third-quarter earnings release. Adjusted net sales for the three months ended Sept. 30 rose to 79.2 billion Danish kroner from 74.98 billion kroner a year earlier. Adjusted net profit, however, declined to 25.60 billion kroner from 29.18 billion kroner. "We delivered a stronger-than-expected third quarter and are raising our full-year outlook for adjusted sales and adjusted operating profit. We are particularly pleased to see both US Operations and International Operations deliver sales growth this quarter. Growth was led by our obesity portfolio, with continued uptake of Wegovy pill in the US and encouraging early launches internationally," President and Chief Executive Mike Doustdar said. Wegovy pill sales brought in 5.39 billion kroner in revenue for the three-month period. The company had launched the pill version of the drug in the US, the United Arab Emirates, the UK and Germany by the end of the quarter. "Our focus is on sustaining this progress through disciplined execution and broader access to our medicines. We are also advancing our pipeline and preparing for the US launch of CagriSema in early 2027, subject to regulatory approval," Doustdar added. Novo also tapped Luigi La Corte, chief financial officer at Swiss dermatology group Galderma (GALD.SW), to take on the same role at the company. La Corte will succeed Karsten Munk Knudsen, who will leave Novo to pursue other opportunities. The company's shares were up more than 3% in early trading in Copenhagen.