From January to April, the group’s net profit came in at 48.56 billion kroner (€6.5 billion, US$7.6 billion).

For the year as a whole the company expects a decline of between 4% and 12% in sales – compared with the 5% to 13% decline previously announced.

The change is thanks to an “upward revision of sales forecasts for GLP-1 products” Wegovy and Ozempic, Novo Nordisk’s two flagship treatments.

Shares soared more than 8% in early trading after the results’ release.

Ozempic, available as an injection, has been widely taken up for its weight-loss properties. It is a diabetes medication, whereas Wegovy, available as both an injection and a tablet, is designed to aid weight loss.

The Wegovy tablet is currently available only in the US, where it has been a major success with more than 200,000 prescriptions per week, the company noted.

It is expected to be rolled out across other markets in the second half of 2026.

Up 32% at constant exchange rates, Novo Nordisk’s first-quarter revenue came in at 96.82 billion kroner, well above FactSet analysts’ expectations of 71.141 billion kroner.

Revenue rose 22% in the obesity sector to nearly 21 billion kroner but fell 12% in the diabetes sector to 45 billion kroner and was off 2% to 4.2 billion kroner for rare diseases.