CNBC International Live Sep 22, 2026 17m · 8m saved
With Mike Doustdar, CEO of Novo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk's weight-loss pill holds 80% of its market even after a competitor's pill arrived, Mike Doustdar said, a day after the company's Capital Markets Day in London.
Investors were not persuaded by that event: Novo's shares slumped as management was questioned on pricing and deals, Reuters reported. Doustdar said the answer is results, quarter by quarter, and set out where Novo will look beyond obesity and diabetes, including through acquisitions.
"That's why we have 80% market share right now."
Mike Doustdar took over as chief executive of Novo Nordisk, the Danish maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, just over a year ago. He spoke to CNBC's anchors in London the morning after he laid out the company's strategy to 2030.
The full interview is covered here so you can skip it. 17 minutes of audio, 10 minutes of reading.
Here are the 11 takeaways that matter.
Key Takeaways
Novo's pill has 80% market share, Doustdar said, with 17% weight loss
The 10x target is for the pill: 10 times more patients before the end of the decade
The core is still diabetes and obesity; diversification goes into blood, liver and heart disease
M&A has no target number; deals are more likely outside the core
Consumer Rx is a new area: prescription drugs sold directly to consumers
Europe risks losing its best scientists to the East and the West, he said
Novo's US pricing deal was about access, including Medicare coverage for the elderly
1. Investors Need Convincing
The interview opened with Doustdar's reaction to the previous day's Capital Markets Day. "I think yesterday we laid out a more clear strategy," he said, including plans to diversify the company. The market's response told him "there's still some work to do in convincing" some investors.
It is Novo's job, he said, to earn that conviction through good results delivered quarter by quarter, and he hopes the reaction changes in time.
