Fuel

America

Bank

Strong

<div class="textg">
 Neither the author, Tim Fries, nor this website, The Tokenist, provide financial advice. Please consult our&nbsp;<a href="https://tokenist.com/terms-of-service/" class="deco-link" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">website policy</a>&nbsp;prior to making financial decisions.
</div> <iframe src="https://tokenist.outseta.com/forms/yWorZM9D"></iframe>
<p class="has-drop-cap">Novo Nordisk A/S (NVO) shares rallied sharply on Friday, January 23, 2026, climbing nearly 5% in <a href="https://tokenist.com/investing/how-to-trade-after-hours/" class="deco-link" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">premarket trading</a> to $62.23 before settling at $63.50, up 2.04% from the previous close of $62.23. The Danish pharmaceutical giant’s stock surge came on the heels of impressive prescription data for its newly launched oral Wegovy weight-loss pill, which recorded over 18,000 prescriptions in its first week on the market.</p>
<p>This strong debut significantly outpaced competitor Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, which managed only 8,000 prescriptions in its second week of launch. The momentum was further bolstered by a fresh Buy rating from Goldman Sachs, citing near-term earnings upside potential for the obesity drug manufacturer.</p>
<h3 id="oral-wegovy-s-fast-start-signals-strong-early-demand">Oral Wegovy’s Fast Start Signals Strong Early Demand</h3>
<p>The oral formulation of Wegovy has launched with what analysts are calling “astronomical” numbers, recording 18,410 prescriptions in its debut week according to Symphony Health data. This performance dramatically outpaced Eli Lilly’s injectable Zepbound, which hit only 8,000 prescriptions in its second week of launch.</p>
<p>Evercore ISI analyst Umer Raffat noted that these figures don’t even include online prescriptions through Novo’s direct-to-consumer NovoCare Pharmacy platform, suggesting actual demand may be even higher.</p>
<p>What makes this launch particularly encouraging for investors is that the surge in oral Wegovy prescriptions doesn’t appear to be cannibalizing sales of the injectable version. According to the data, prescriptions for injectable Wegovy actually grew by 2,000 week-over-week, indicating the oral formulation is expanding the overall market rather than simply shifting existing patients from one delivery method to another.</p>
<p>Analysts had initially worried that oral Wegovy might follow the disappointing trajectory of Novo’s oral diabetes drug Rybelsus, but the 25-milligram dose and obesity-specific indication appear to be driving much stronger uptake.</p>
<p>Bank of America analysts estimate that approximately 2,000 weekly prescriptions are needed to meet 2026 sales targets, meaning the launch has already exceeded this threshold ninefold in its first week. Oral Wegovy is already approaching half the weekly prescription volume of Rybelsus, which typically generates around 50,000 prescriptions per week despite being on the market for several years.</p>
<p>The consumer-driven nature of the weight-loss market, combined with telehealth access and cash-pay options, appears to be creating particularly strong demand for oral obesity treatments.</p>
<div class="cta-referral">
 <img src="https://tokenist.com/wp-content/themes/thetokenist/assets/img/del/cta-referral-1.png" alt="" class="cta-referral__img">
 <div class="cta-referral__text">
  <p>Join our <a href="https://t.me/thetokenist" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Telegram group</a> and never miss a breaking digital asset story.</p>
 </div>
</div>
<h3 id="goldman-upgrade-adds-fuel-as-investors-reprice-the-outlook">Goldman Upgrade Adds Fuel as Investors Reprice the Outlook</h3>
<p>Goldman Sachs issued a Buy rating on Novo Nordisk stock, citing near-term earnings gains driven by the successful Wegovy pill launch and strong positioning in the competitive GLP-1 drug market. As of 10:39 AM EST on January 23, 2026, NVO was trading at $63.50, up $1.27 or 2.04%, with an intraday range of $63.25 to $64.16.</p>
<p>The stock has shown impressive year-to-date performance, gaining 24.30%, though it remains down 18.80% over the past year, reflecting the volatility in obesity drug sector valuations.</p>
<p>Novo Nordisk’s market capitalization stands at $282.894 billion, with a trailing <a href="https://tokenist.com/investing/p-e-ratio/" class="deco-link" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">P/E ratio</a> of 17.44 and forward P/E of 17.36. The company maintains a profit margin of 32.88% and a return on equity of 71.46%, demonstrating strong profitability metrics despite competitive pressures.</p>
<p>However, analyst sentiment remains mixed, with price targets ranging from a low of $42.08 to a high of $74.13, and an average target of $57.66, below the current trading price. The most recent analyst rating came from CICC on January 9, 2026, with an Outperform rating and $73.50 price target.</p>
<p>Despite the strong launch metrics, Novo faces headwinds from upcoming patent cliffs and generic competition. India’s Sun Pharmaceutical recently received approval to produce generic semaglutide, the key ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic, with a launch planned once patents expire in March 2026.</p>
<p>The company’s next earnings report on February 4, 2026, will be closely watched for 2026 guidance and updates on the Wegovy pill rollout speed. Investors are particularly focused on whether prescription growth can be sustained beyond the initial launch excitement as access expands and competitors respond.</p> <iframe src="https://tokenist.substack.com/embed"></iframe>
<p><em>Disclaimer: The author does not hold or have a position in any securities discussed in the article.</em> <em>All stock prices were quoted at the time of writing.</em></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://tokenist.com/why-is-novo-nordisk-nvo-stock-up-today-wegovy-pill-demand-looks-strong/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Why Is Novo Nordisk (NVO) Stock Up Today? Wegovy Pill Demand Looks Strong</a> appeared first on <a href="https://tokenist.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Tokenist</a>.</p>

Why Is Novo Nordisk (NVO) Stock Up Today? Wegovy Pill Demand Looks Strong

Table of Contents

Tokenist

Other articles published on Jan 23, 2026

GME Stock Up 6% After Ryan Cohen Buys; GameStop’s BTC Faces $76M Loss

Capital One Falls After Earnings Report, Makes $5.15B Bet on Brex

Vitalik Buterin Calls 2026 Year of Digital Self Sovereignty

BNB Price Prediction: Could Grayscale’s ETF Filing Push BNB to $900?

Where crypto market structure bill stands now

South Korean Prosecutors Probe Disappearance Of Seized Bitcoin

Join our free newsletter for daily crypto updates!