[Adobe Stock]
No longer just a diabetes company, Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide-based therapies have fueled its rise to pharma powerhouse status. From 2021 to 2023, the company cemented its position as the fastest-growing Big Pharma player, reaching a 35% year-over-year growth rate in 2023 and 74% growth from 2020 to 2023 when measured in U.S. dollars. While Pfizer saw even more explosive growth (94%) in 2021 (see second graph below), the trajectory was not sustainable leading to a 41.69% drop in 2023.The strong demand for Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide-based products Ozempic, Rybelsus, and Wegovy fueled the company’s rapid growth. In 2023, sales of obesity care products, including Wegovy, skyrocketed by 154% to DKK 41.6 billion ($6.0 billion). The 24% sales increase in the diabetes care segment, amounting to DKK 173.5 billion ($25.2 billion) in 2023, was heavily driven by the growth of GLP-1-based pr…