Novo Nordisk: Weighing Profits and Pills - By Order of the Shelby Company

Profits Up Forecasts Down: A Shelby Sort of Shakedown

Right so Novo Nordisk those Danes making the weight loss potions have had a bit of a shakeup. Their net profit for the first quarter is up – 29.03 billion Danish kroner they’re saying. Beating the bloody analysts’ predictions which is always a good start. But don’t get too comfortable. They've had to lower their sales growth forecast for the year. It's like winning a street fight then finding out you've got another ten waiting in the alley.

Wegovy Woes: A Missed Shot at the Races

Their star horse this Wegovy is pulling up lame. Sales are at 17.36 billion Danish kroner shy of what the bookies – sorry analysts – were expecting. Turns out people are finding other ways to shed the pounds. In this game you snooze you lose and those bloody Yanks are awake and smelling a profit. 'Everyone's a whore Grace. We just sell different parts of ourselves.' Seems even the pharmaceutical game is just about selling something.

The American Problem: Copycats and Corner Cutting

The Yank problem? Compounding pharmacies they call ‘em. Making their own versions of Wegovy like Arthur trying to brew his own whiskey. The FDA in its infinite wisdom declared a shortage letting these back alley brewers have a go. Now they're saying the shortage is over giving them a deadline. But mark my words some will keep at it. Novo Nordisk is threatening legal action but in my experience threats are only as good as the men backing them.

Competition Heats Up: A Gunfight at the OK Corral

The weight loss game is getting crowded. Roche AstraZeneca AbbVie – they're all lining up guns blazing ready to take a piece of Novo's pie. It's like the Garrison on a Friday night; everyone wants a piece of the action and no one's afraid to get their hands dirty. Survival is all about adaptability after all.

Lilly's Leap: A Shadow in the Distance

And then there's Eli Lilly the American cousin. They're boasting about a 45% rise in sales though their own weight loss drug Zepbound is facing price cuts. They also lowered their own forecast due to costs because in this life you have to pay for your sins. Even the ones you haven't committed yet. But that is the nature of the game innit?

By Order of the Shelby Company: The Bottom Line

So Novo Nordisk is making money just not as much as they hoped. Competition is fierce regulations are shifting and the Americans are well being American. It's a complicated game this. But as I always say 'Everyone is trying to get ahead and that’s just the way it is.' We'll just have to wait and see if they have the stomach for it.