Novo Nordisk Secures UK Court Order Against Counterfeit GLP-1 Sites as Pipeline and Pricing Battles Intensify

Novo Nordisk secures court order to block four counterfeit drug websites in UK. Shares slip despite victory, as focus shifts to CagriSema Phase 3 results at ADA conference and upcoming Medicare obesity coverage.

Novo Nordisk has won a landmark legal ruling in the United Kingdom, obtaining a High Court order requiring internet service providers BT, Sky, and Virgin Media to block four websites accused of selling fake versions of Ozempic, Wegovy, and other GLP-1 therapies. The domains—Viogen Pharma, Pharma-Labs, Leo Labs, and The Steroid Supplier—are the first to be targeted by a blocking injunction specifically aimed at counterfeit prescription medicines in the country. The products on offer included bogus batches under Novo Nordisk’s own trademarks as well as unauthorized knockoffs containing semaglutide, liraglutide, or cagrilintide, often in incorrect dosages.

The ruling, which rests on trademark infringement, “passing off,” and violations of the Human Medicines Regulations Act 2012, comes at a time when the Danish drugmaker is fighting on multiple fronts to defend its obesity and diabetes franchise. The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency supported the application after an earlier attempt to shut down one of the sites failed. The company holds regulatory exclusivity for semaglutide in Britain until its patents and supplementary protection certificates expire in 2031.

Investors, however, have remained largely unimpressed by the legal victory. Novo Nordisk’s shares edged up 0.7% to €36.65 on the day of the ruling, but the stock has shed 6% over the past seven days and is down 42.64% over the past twelve months. The current price sits 48% below the 52-week high of €70.13 set just a year ago, and trades about 12% below its 200-day moving average. The ongoing share buyback programme—worth up to 15 billion Danish kroner and launched on 4 February—has bought back 17.89 million B-shares for 4.71 billion kroner as of 29 May, providing some support but not enough to offset broader concerns about growth.

Much of the market’s attention now shifts to New Orleans, where from 5 to 8 June Novo Nordisk will present 40 abstracts at the American Diabetes Association’s Scientific Sessions. The headline event is the Phase 3 results from the REIMAGINE programme for CagriSema, a weekly injection combining cagrilintide and semaglutide. The data will measure blood sugar control and weight loss in patients with type 2 diabetes. Also on the schedule are Phase 2b data for Zenagamtid, a dual GLP-1 and amylin receptor agonist, as well as fresh evidence for Ozempic and Wegovy in cardiometabolic diseases. The company has scheduled an R&D investor call for 7 June at 6:30 p.m. local time to contextualise the findings.

CagriSema has been filed with the US Food and Drug Administration since December 2025, with a decision expected in the fourth quarter of 2026 and a potential launch in early 2027. The drug is widely regarded as critical to Novo Nordisk’s ability to hold ground against Eli Lilly in the GLP-1 based therapy market.

On the commercial side, a major reimbursement shift takes effect on 1 July. Eligible Medicare beneficiaries with obesity will gain access to Wegovy—both as an injection and a tablet—for a monthly copay of $50. This marks a significant break from the past, when Medicare’s statutory ban prevented coverage of prescription drugs solely for weight loss. Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have agreed to a net price of $245 per month, far below list prices exceeding $1,000. The programme runs until 31 December 2027 and could bring millions of new patients into the market, but the lower reimbursed price will squeeze margins.

That pricing pressure is already baked into the company’s outlook. Novo Nordisk recently raised its 2026 guidance, but still expects revenue and operating profit to decline by 4% to 12% on a constant currency basis. Lower realised prices in the US, reduced Medicaid rebates for obesity therapies, and a most-favoured-nation pricing agreement are all weighing on the top line. Additionally, the exclusivity of semaglutide is eroding in some international markets.

The UK court order provides a fresh layer of protection for the GLP-1 franchise against counterfeiters, but it does not substitute for the growth signals that investors are demanding. The week ahead, with its twin catalysts of clinical data and Medicare access, will test whether legal shields, pipeline progress, and volume expansion can translate into sustainable financial strength. The buyback offers a floor, but only convincing numbers from the ADA stage and a clear path through the pricing maze are likely to revive the stock’s fortunes.