NOVO NORDISK'S DIVERSE OBESITY DRUG PORTFOLIO HOLDS PROMISE TO MAINTAIN LEADERSHIP: JOHN C. DAWBER

In India, the Danish drug maker Novo Nordisk is the market leader and presently claims around 60 per cent of the country’s insulin supply. Speaking to BW Businessworld in an exclusive interaction, John C. Dawber, CVP and MD, Global Business Services talks about the company’s GLP1 growth story, the market of obesity drugs and their safety profile and building capacities and partnerships

- Shivam Tyagi

The Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP1) drugs are set to be the star performers for insulin drug makers across the globe as the menace of diabetes and obesity is in line to rise exponentially in the years to come. GLP1 drugs are medications which have traditionally been used to treat type 2 diabetes and more recently for obesity. The pharma majors making GLP1 drugs globally are racing to get their drugs on the shelves with the demand for these drugs outstripping the supply in many markets. GLP1 drugs have become highly recommended due to their diverse treatment profile which is effective in lowering sugar levels, reducing obesity and providing cardiovascular risk benefits.We caught up with John C. Dawber, CVP and MD, Global Business Services, Novo Nordisk to know about the company’s growth story and much more.

Since your company is one of the leading drug makers in GLP1 medicines, how are you viewing the market growth rate here in India and globally?

Globally the GLP1 market was growing at a rate of 60 per cent in 2022 and we see it continuing to grow at a similar pace going forward. This has happened due to the benefits of these particular groups of medicines, which control blood glucose for people with diabetes and also reduce weight. And some of those molecules have evidence to show prevention of other complications of diabetes such as a heart attack and cardiovascular complications.