Novo Nordisk We’re looking for deals more than ever, the Danish drugmaker’s CEO said in an interview with CNBC on Wednesday.
“If our ambition is to help the millions of patients out there, we need not only the best, but also the most comprehensive pipeline in the world,” said Mike Doustdar, CEO of Novo Nordisk. “So let’s look and see who basically has assets that complement what we have. And we’re quite active with those (business development) talks and acquisitions, and you’ll see more of those going forward.”
Novo created the market for GLP-1 weight loss drugs with its weekly shots Ozempic and Vegovy. Recently, the company has faced concerns from analysts about whether Novo’s pipeline is strong enough to remain a leader in the increasingly competitive obesity drug field.
Novo Nordisk A/S Chief Executive Officer Mike Doustdar during an interview in New York, U.S., on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026.
Michael Nagel | Bloomberg | getty images
rival Eli Lilly Novo already leads the market in market share for weekly GLP-1 shots, however, Novo has taken an early lead in a new category of GLP-1 pills for weight loss.
Doustdar said he disagrees with concerns about Novo’s upcoming treatments, arguing that the drugmaker has “one of the best pipelines in the industry.” He pointed to Novo’s cagrisema, a drug candidate that targets GLP-1 and amylin that Novo expects to be approved later this year, and an experimental amylin-targeting drug called zengamtide that Novo has accelerated development on, among other assets.
“Of course, there’s a lot of stuff in my pipeline that I’m aware of right now that I’m looking forward to and getting excited about, but I haven’t shared it with the world yet,” he said. “So I’m incredibly excited about our pipeline, and I would just say to investors who are a little skeptical, wait and see.”
Doustdar spoke to CNBC after the company said its Wegovi pill performed better than expected in the first quarter and it raised its full-year profit guidance.
