Novo Nordisk Widens Asia Diabetes Push as Liver Data and Analyst Targets Diverge

Novo Nordisk will extend its reach in Asia-Pacific through an expanded partnership with Abbott, the two companies said Thursday, with the rollout of Plosbrio aimed at broadening access to original semaglutide for people living with type-2 diabetes. The announcement sketches a planned build-out of diabetes care across the region — a commercial thread running parallel to a busy stretch of clinical disclosures and mixed signals from the sell side.

On the research front, the Danish drugmaker presented new real-world findings on Friday covering Wegovy at 2.4 mg. In adults with MASH, treatment was associated with lower liver enzyme levels as well as reductions in weight and blood glucose, according to the company. The data were unveiled at The Liver Meeting, the AASLD 2026 specialist congress.

A packed agenda in Washington

Novo Nordisk has flagged 26 scientific abstracts on its obesity portfolio for ObesityWeek, scheduled for November 14–17 in Washington, D.C. The lineup includes analyses of CagriSema and real-world data on treatment experience with the Wegovy pill. Also on the program are results for semaglutide in children aged six to under twelve, an application still in testing. The conference program was announced on October 29, spanning several products and patient groups.

Targets raised, ratings held

Bernstein Research lifted its price target on Novo Nordisk to DKK 223 from DKK 203 on Friday, according to media reports, while keeping its "Underperform" rating — a combination that leaves the broker's cautious view of the equity intact even as its valuation mark rises. BMO Capital also raised its target for the Novo Nordisk ADR on Thursday, to $44 from $40, maintaining a "Market Perform" rating. Analyst Evan Seigerman pointed to the strength of the Wegovy pill, with further upside for 2027 hinging on continued growth of the oral product, international business development and a successful launch of CagriSema.

The broader picture from Thursday and Wednesday was mixed: two houses raised their targets and one cut, with ratings unchanged across the board.

Insider sale and a guidance lift

Separately, Novo Nordisk disclosed on Thursday a share sale by Martin Holst Lange, Executive Vice President for Research and Development and Chief Scientific Officer. He sold 12,000 B shares on Wednesday at an execution price of DKK 285.00 apiece, for a total volume of DKK 3,420,000.

The sale landed alongside Wednesday's quarterly figures, in which Novo Nordisk named higher expected sales of GLP-1 products as the main driver behind its improved full-year outlook. Adjusted operating profit for the third quarter of 2026 beat expectations, rising 27% at constant exchange rates to DKK 31.7 billion, according to Reuters.

One partnership ends as another expands

Not every collaboration is moving forward. Novo Nordisk told Korro Bio on Tuesday that it is terminating their research collaboration and license agreement. A subsequent mandatory disclosure from Korro stated that the cancellation takes effect on February 1, 2027.