Novo Nordisk Shares Rally on Unprecedented Demand for Oral Weight-Loss Pill
Copenhagen, Wednesday, 6 May 2026.
Driven by the fastest adoption in weight-loss drug history, Novo Nordisk’s new oral pill hit 200,000 weekly prescriptions, sending shares soaring and prompting an upgraded 2026 financial outlook.
Smashing Expectations and Lifting Guidance
On Wednesday, May 6, 2026, Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk (NYSE: NVO) reported robust first-quarter results that decisively beat Wall Street estimates, largely driven by the January 2026 launch of its oral Wegovy pill [1][3]. The company posted a 32 percent increase in overall first-quarter sales to 96.8 billion Danish kroner ($15.2 billion), alongside a staggering 65 percent surge in operating profit to 59.6 billion kroner [1]. The new pill alone generated 2.26 billion kroner in the quarter, beating the 1.16 billion kroner anticipated by analysts by a massive 94.828 percent [1]. Consequently, Novo Nordisk revised its full-year 2026 guidance, now projecting a narrower 4 percent to 12 percent contraction in adjusted sales and operating profit, an improvement from the previously forecasted 5 percent to 13 percent decline [1][2][5]. Markets responded enthusiastically to the news, with shares climbing as much as 9.2 percent in Copenhagen and surging over 6 percent in U.S. premarket trading [2][5].