Pushing back on the concept that there can only be one victor among branded obesity drugmakers, Novo Nordisk CEO Mike Doustdar thinks that investors aren’t seeing the whole picture.
As the massive market for GLP-1 weight loss drugs continues to come into its own, patients are just now discovering their preferences, and the appetite for differentiation will likely increase as more drugs are approved in the indication, Doustdar told Reuters in an interview published Thursday.
While investors have largely taken the perspective that Novo and its chief metabolic rival Eli Lilly are playing a “zero-sum game,” there will likely be room for many players who can successfully set their obesity offerings apart in the future, Doustdar suggested.
The CEO tied that vision back to Novo’s insulin business, which could serve as a potential template for eventual GLP-1 differentiation, explaining that the company successfully promotes 12 different insulin brands, which “all reduce sugar, but they do also different things.”
In much the same way, “GLP-1s all reduce weight, but they all do different things," Doustdar said.
