Novo Nordisk Insider Sale, CFO Handover and a Two-Sided Earnings Picture

A share disposal by Novo Nordisk's research chief surfaced on Thursday, just a day after the Danish drugmaker confirmed a change at the top of its finance function and reported quarterly figures that told two very different stories about its operating performance.

Martin Holst Lange, the executive vice president and scientific head responsible for research and development, sold 12,000 B-shares in the company on Wednesday, according to the disclosure.

Finance chief to depart at year-end

Karsten Munk Knudsen will leave Novo Nordisk at the end of December, the company announced on Wednesday. Luigi La Corte, currently chief financial officer at Galderma, has been named as his successor.

The same day brought third-quarter 2026 results in which adjusted and reported operating profit moved in opposite directions. At constant exchange rates, adjusted operating profit climbed 27% to DKK 31,720 million. Reported operating profit, by contrast, fell 9% on the same currency-neutral basis — a decline Novo Nordisk attributed to non-cash impairment charges of DKK 8.7 billion. Revenue advanced 4% at constant currencies on both an adjusted and a reported basis.

Liver and obesity data in the pipeline

Novo Nordisk said Friday that observational studies presented at The Liver Meeting 2026 linked the use of Wegovy at a 2.4 mg dose in adults with MASH to lower liver enzyme levels as well as reductions in weight and blood sugar. The company was careful to note that the retrospective analyses cannot establish cause and effect.

Twelve scientific abstracts are slated for presentation at The Liver Meeting, which runs from 5–9 November in Denver, covering semaglutide and the investigational compound efruxifermin — an announcement Novo Nordisk made on 28 October. At ObesityWeek, taking place 14–17 November 2026 in Washington, D.C., the group plans to showcase data across 26 abstracts, including analyses of CagriSema and real-world evidence on the Wegovy tablet. Those presentations were flagged on 29 October.

Abbott tie-up widens as Korro Bio pact ends

On the partnership front, Abbott announced Thursday an expansion of its collaboration with Novo Nordisk to market Plosbrio in Singapore and further Asia-Pacific markets. The product is a second brand of Ozempic semaglutide that Novo Nordisk develops and manufactures.

Another alliance is winding down. Novo Nordisk informed Korro Bio on Tuesday that it is terminating their research collaboration and license agreement effective 1 February 2027. According to Korro Bio, the upfront payment already received and other amounts paid are non-refundable.