Obesity market growth prompts Novo Nordisk to lift guidance again

Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk (NOV: N) has reported sales in line with expectations at 108 billion Danish kroner ($15.98 billion) for the first six months in 2023, up 30% from the same period a year earlier.

Earnings per share were 17.41 Danish kroner, up 44% but slightly below expectations.

Sales of semaglutide, the company’s glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, are a major reason for Novo Nordisk’s stellar performance, both under its Wegovy guise as a breakthrough obesity drug and as Ozempic to treat type 2 diabetes and prevent major cardiovascular problems.