The drugmaker expects the regulator to remove Wegovy and Ozempic from its shortage list, blocking other companies from legally selling cheap knockoff versions.

Novo Nordisk's U.S.-listed shares are surging 9% Friday morning after the Danish drugmaker reported early stage results for its amycretin weight-loss drug.

Novo’s newest GLP-1, CagriSema, is the first big test of Novo Nordisk’s future as the leader in the obesity treatment market. The drug is more potent than Ozempic and Wegovy, expanding treatment to heavier patients while perhaps reducing treatment times for other individuals.

Novo Nordisk reported Q4 sales of $11.96 billion, beating estimates. The company plans a new phase 3 trial for CagriSema in 2025, with results expected in Q1.

The Danish maker of Ozempic and Wegovy reported a 25 percent increase in sales to $40.6 billion, but said it expected slower growth this year.

KEY TAKEAWAYS Novo Nordisk's U.S.-listed shares are rising 4% in premarket trading after the Ozempic and Wegovy maker's better-than-estimated quarterly results offset slower 2025 sales growth projections amid "intensifying competition.

By Maggie Fick and Stine Jacobsen LONDON/COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -Obesity drug maker Novo Nordisk forecast slower growth this year after Wegovy sales more than doubled in the fourth quarter, with analysts and investors describing the results as "good enough" to ease nerves about stiff competition from rival Eli Lilly.