COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -Novo Nordisk has more than enough of its Wegovy weight-loss pills to support an aggressive product launch, CEO Mike Doustdar said on Monday, looking to avoid a repeat of the supply issues that plagued the drug’s original version.
The drugmaker expects a decision on U.S. approval before the end of the year, with the pill format expected to appeal to patients who prefer to avoid injections of the current Wegovy formulation.
“We have more than enough pills this time, so we’re going to go all in and really make this happen,” Doustdar said at an event hosted by the Danish Shareholders Association.
Novo has faced slowing sales growth for the blockbuster obesity drug that helped it to become Europe’s most valuable company. The slowdown was largely the result of supply constraints that allowed Eli Lilly and others to erode the Danish drugmaker’s first-mover advantage.
Doustdar also said that a pricing deal struck with U.S. President Donald Trump aimed to broaden access to its weight-loss drugs for the U.S. Medicare programme, a federal health insurance programme for people aged 65 and older or who have disabilities.
(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-PedersenWriting by Stine JacobsenEditing by David Goodman)
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