Ozempic and Wegovy sales reach $4.7 billion in a quarter
The quarterly totals show how much of Novo Nordisk's business now rests on two semaglutide brands, at a time when counterfeit versions have turned up in the U.S. supply chain [1].
Ozempic and Wegovy, Novo Nordisk's two semaglutide brands, combined for $4.7 billion in sales in the third quarter, about 57% of the company's revenue [1]. Eli Lilly's tirzepatide product Mounjaro reached $1.4 billion in the same three-month period [1].
The two companies posted the largest year-over-year revenue increases in the industry for the quarter, with Lilly up 38% and Novo up 29% [1]. In other words, more than half of Novo's revenue for the period came from two products.
Demand for these medicines has outrun what the manufacturers can supply, and that gap has drawn in counterfeit and compounded versions of the drugs [1]. In December, the FDA and Novo Nordisk warned that counterfeit Ozempic had been found in the "legitimate" U.S. supply chain [1]. The agency notified distributors, pharmacies, health care professionals and patients not to use product labeled with lot number NAR0074 or serial number 430834149057; the fakes come in a 1 milligram injected dose [1]. Thousands of units were seized, but some may still be in circulation [1].
Five people who used product from that lot reported adverse effects, none different from Ozempic's widely known side effects, which include nausea, diarrhea and vomiting [1]. Novo said it is uncertain whether all products from the lot are counterfeit, and that while visual analysis shows the needles and cartons appear to be fake, "product composition has not been conclusively determined" [1]. The company added that it "cannot guarantee the quality or safety of the counterfeit Ozempic product" [1]. Counterfeit needles, the FDA and the company warned, could increase the risk of infection [1].
Regulators and the manufacturers have also moved against sellers of copycat products. In October, health officials in the U.K. and Europe warned about falsified Ozempic pens [1]. In September, Lilly sued 10 medical spas, wellness centers and compounding pharmacies that it said sold products they claimed were the diabetes drug Mounjaro [1]. Novo later sued two compounders in Florida [1].
Why it matters for patients
The $4.7 billion figure shows how concentrated Novo's business has become around two brands, and how strong demand has stayed even as supply lagged [1]. When supply falls short, patients can end up looking beyond the usual pharmacy chain, which is where counterfeit and compounded products have appeared [1].
For anyone filling a semaglutide prescription, the FDA's warning shows that a fake can reach the regular supply chain, not only an online seller [1]. The agency's notice gives the specific lot and serial numbers involved [1].
The reported effects from that lot matched Ozempic's known side effects, and the product's makeup has not been conclusively determined, so what the counterfeit pens actually contained is not known [1]. The FDA has not reported whether any of the remaining units from the lot have been found since the December warning [1].
What happens next
The FDA said some units from the flagged lot may still be in circulation, and Novo said it cannot guarantee the safety or quality of the counterfeit product [1]. Novo's suit against the Florida compounders and Lilly's suit against the medical spas and pharmacies were filed in the months before the December warning, and how those cases have been resolved has not been reported [1]. Whether more counterfeit semaglutide will be found in the U.S. supply chain has not been disclosed [1]. Novo has not said when it expects supply to catch up with demand [1].
Sources
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