Eli Lilly raises price of diabetes drug Mounjaro in UK ahead of Trump deadline
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Will New CEO's Leadership Propel Novo Nordisk's Next Growth Wave?
Novo Nordisk NVO recently underwent a major leadership transition, as Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen stepped down as CEO on Aug. 7, 2025, after leading the company since 2017. His tenure saw remarkable growth fueled by the surging demand for GLP-1 agonist medicines, including Ozempic and Rybelsus for diabetes and Wegovy for weight management, which helped the company secure a dominant position in the obesity market. The decision to change leadership followed a steep share price decline since mid-2024, driven by intensifying competition from Eli Lilly LLY, including from compounded GLP-1 alternatives, slower-than-expected market expansion, and pipeline and regulatory hurdles. Following a comprehensive search of internal and external candidates, Novo Nordisk appointed Maziar Mike Doustdar as its new president and CEO, a move fully endorsed by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. Doustdar brings over a decade of senior leadership experience within Novo Nordisk's International Operations to his new role as president and CEO. Since being appointed senior vice president of the division in 2013, he has overseen a network of 80 affiliates outside the United States, serving roughly 35 million patients. Under his stewardship, NVO's International Operations sales more than doubled to about DKK 112 billion in 2024. His career at Novo Nordisk has also spanned leadership roles across multiple geographies, including heading the Southeast Asia and Oceania commercial area from Malaysia and managing operations in the Middle East. Before rising to the company's executive ranks, Doustdar served as general manager in Turkey and held leadership roles in finance and IT. He was appointed executive vice president in 2015, continuing to expand the reach and performance of International Operations. His broad exposure to diverse markets and his track record of delivering sustained growth positioned him as a natural choice to succeed Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen. Doustdar also serves on the board of directors of Orion Corporation, further reflecting his standing in the global pharmaceutical industry. Competition Heating Up in the Obesity Space Eli Lilly is Novo Nordisk's fierce competitor in the obesity space, which markets its tirzepatide medicines as Mounjaro for diabetes and Zepbound for obesity. Despite being on the market for less than three years, both drugs have become LLY's key top-line drivers. In the first half of 2025, they generated combined sales of $14.7 billion, accounting for 52% of Lilly's total revenues. Following strong second-quarter results, Lilly raised its full-year sales guidance to $60-$62 billion from its prior expectation of $58-$61 billion in 2025. Several other companies, like Viking Therapeutics VKTX, are also making rapid progress in the development of GLP-1-based candidates in their clinical pipeline. Recently, Viking Therapeutics started two late-stage studies evaluating the subcutaneous formulation of its investigational obesity drug, VK2735. A mid-stage study is currently ongoing, evaluating an oral version of this obesity drug, with a data readout expected later this year. NVO's Stock Price, Valuation & Estimates Year to date, Novo Nordisk shares have lost 40.8% compared with the industry's 5.8% decline. The company has also underperformed the sector and the S&P 500 during the same time frame, as seen in the chart below. The stock is currently trading below its 50 and 200-day moving averages. NVO Stock Underperforms the Industry, Sector & the S&P 500 Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Novo Nordisk is trading at a premium to the industry, as seen in the chart below. 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Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Novo Nordisk A/S (NVO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) : Free Stock Analysis Report Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (VKTX) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
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UK patients rush for obesity jab before Eli Lilly raises price 170% to appease Donald Trump
Patients are racing to secure the weight loss drug Mounjaro ahead of a price rise of up to 170 per cent in the UK, as drugmaker Eli Lilly
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UK pharmacist says Eli Lilly's Mounjaro price hike a 'shock'
Eli Lilly will increase the UK list price of its blockbuster drug Mounjaro (tirzepatide) amid pressure from US President Donald Trump for drugmakers to hike prices outside the US. In the UK, Mounjaro is indicated for the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and weight loss. In the US, the name Mounjaro is only used for T2D while Eli Lilly markets tirzepatide for weight loss in the US under the brand name Zepbound. Mounjaro generated global sales of $5.2bn in Q2 alone, up 68% from the same period last year. In a statement sent to Pharmaceutical Technology, Eli Lilly said that the price changes will not affect the drug's availability on the UK's National Health Service (NHS), saying it had 'reached an agreement with the healthcare system to ensure continued supply and patient access'. The drugmaker added: 'While Lilly does not determine the prices that private healthcare providers set, we are working with them to maintain patient access.' Mounjaro's current list price in the UK ranges from £92 (approximately $125) to £122 a month, depending on the dose, according to Eli Lilly. The drug's new list price will increase to between £133 and £330 starting on 1 September. GlobalData said in a research note: "For the UK, this latest step by Eli Lilly may potentially be seen as the start of a wave of higher medicine prices than the country has been accustomed to in recent years. Heading into 2026, [we] may expect to see a narrowing of the gap between the US and UK (and potentially between the US and EU) pricing for some new medicines." When it was rolled out in the UK in February 2024, Eli Lilly agreed to a list price 'significantly below' that of other competitor European markets to stop delays in the availability of the medicine to diabetes patients through the NHS. A pharmacist in London, who wishes to remain anonymous, told Pharmaceutical Technology: 'I was shocked today with the email that we pharmacists received about Mounjaro's price increase. We have so many patients on this medicine, and now half of them will be really struggling to pay for it. 'I already have some of them asking me for discounts and with the increase, that will be impossible. I feel really sad for patients who use the injection to control their blood sugar levels and now they might not be able to do so. Why did the manufacturer wait so long to make this price change?' Dr Leyla Hannbeck, CEO of the Independent Pharmacies Association (IPA), said: "We are shocked and very disappointed," while reacting to the news. Lilly said the changes, which follow a pricing review, 'address pricing inconsistencies compared to other developed countries, including in Europe'. International pricing pressures also contributed to the mark-up, according to the company. President Trump has been pressuring US drugmakers to cut prices of prescription medicines in the country, which cost around three times more than identical counterparts in other developed nations. He famously relayed a phone call he took from a friend in the UK, who complained about a 'damn fat drug' that cost $88 in London but $1,300 in New York. The stark difference in costs for weight loss drugs was one of the factors that led Trump to introduce the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) policy, a framework that would tie US drug prices to the lowest prices in other developed countries. Amid pushback from the industry, Trump sent letters to leading pharma companies, including Eli Lilly, calling on them to take more steps to lower prices. '[Eli] Lilly agrees with the policy objective expressed in the executive order that research costs for breakthrough medicines should be shared more fairly across developed countries. However, a Most Favoured Nation approach is not the answer to help patient affordability,' Eli Lilly told Pharmaceutical Technology. "IPA calls on the other weight-loss manufacturers to hold their nerves and hold their prices. The British market for weight-loss jabs will is only set to grow, but it will only achieve that growth if treatment remains affordable to the average patient," Dr Hannbeck commented. "UK pharmacist says Eli Lilly's Mounjaro price hike a 'shock'" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
