Novo Nordisk is launching its weight reduction capsule Wegovy within the United Arab Emirates, the Danish drugmaker stated Wednesday, marking its first launch exterior the U.S. market.
Novo’s strategy can be guided by affected person demand, the readiness of healthcare professionals, and the power of healthcare and telehealth infrastructure, stated Emil Kongshøj Larsen, government vice chairman, Worldwide Operations.
“The UAE has demonstrated robust momentum throughout all of those areas, and we look ahead to bringing Wegovy capsule to further choose nations within the coming months,” he stated.
The nation’s regulator, the Emirates Drug Institution, accredited the Wegovy capsule for weight administration and lowering the danger of cardiovascular occasions in high-risk sufferers earlier this week.
Larsen informed CNBC final month that Novo was “all in” on launching the Wegovy capsule in abroad markets, and that it was a “main alternative.”
Novo introduced alongside its first-quarter earnings in early Might that, pending approvals, it could launch the capsule in sure markets exterior the U.S. within the second half of 2026, with out naming particular markets.
The UAE launch comes as Novo has been battling a declining share of the weight-loss drug market, which analysts anticipate might exceed $100 billion by 2030. Whereas Novo was first in launching the so-called GLP-1 medication for weight problems, Lilly’s Mounjaro overtook Novo’s Ozempic because the best-selling GLP-1 within the second quarter of 2025.
Larsen informed CNBC in Might that the capsule format was interesting to many sufferers within the U.S. and that he anticipated it could be replicated in the remainder of the world, additionally highlighting the Wegovy capsule’s “superior efficacy.”
Research have advised that the capsule ends in extra pronounced weight reduction than Foundayo and has sure cardiovascular advantages, however to this point, no scientific trial has straight in contrast the 2 medication.
The important thing U.S. market
The U.S. nonetheless accounts for greater than half of gross sales for each Novo and its chief rival, Eli Lilly, which lately launched its personal weight-loss capsule, Foundayo.
The Wegovy capsule solely accounted for a fraction of Novo’s whole gross sales – 3%, or 2.3 billion Danish kroner ($355 million), within the first quarter since its launch.
In early Might, Novo stated whole prescriptions of the capsule had reached greater than 2 million, as gross sales massively beat expectations regardless of its cheaper price level. Foundayo, alternatively, has had a slower uptake since launch in early April, with Lilly CEO David Ricks saying it would take time to ascertain Foundayo in the marketplace as it’s a completely new drug and model.
The success of the Wegovy capsule within the U.S. has led traders to be cautiously optimistic that Novo can handle to claw again a few of the promote it misplaced to Lilly.
Novo shares are nonetheless down about 15% year-to-date, principally as a result of double-digit drops following a depressing steering and a trial which confirmed its next-generation weight-loss drug CagriSema did not match Lilly’s Zepbound’s efficacy.
