By Fineline Cube 
Shares of Denmark-based biopharma giant Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE: NVO) dipped over 20% during trading on July 29, 2025, following the company’s announcement of a significant downward revision to its full-year guidance due to heightened competition in the obesity market. Concurrently, the firm announced the appointment of Mike Doustdar as the new CEO, effective August 7, succeeding Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen. Doustdar currently serves as Novo Nordisk’s executive vice president of International Operations.
Financial Performance and Revised Guidance
Novo Nordisk reported an 18% increase in sales and a 29% rise in operating profits for the first half of 2025 (H1 2025), both on a constant exchange rate basis. However, the company has adjusted its full-year guidance downward, projecting sales growth of 8%-14% and operating profit growth of 10%-16%. This revision reflects a more conservative outlook compared to the previous guidance of 13%-21% for sales growth and 16%-24% for operating profit growth.
Market Challenges
The downward revision is primarily attributed to the performance of Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide-based products, Wegovy for obesity and Ozempic for diabetes, particularly in the US market. The company faces increasing competition, notably from Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide. Additionally, Novo Nordisk highlighted the ongoing issue of compounded GLP-1s in the US market, which has persisted despite the expiration of the FDA’s grace period for mass compounding on May 22, 2025. The company is actively pursuing litigation and other measures to address this challenge.-Fineline Info & Tech