Novo Nordisk shares climb as oral Wegovy success offsets ransomware crisis

Novo Nordisk Shares Rise Amid Ransomware Attack and Oral Wegovy Surge

Novo Nordisk shares climbed more than 5% on Friday as investors looked past a ransomware incident and focused on the runaway success of the company’s oral Wegovy pill and approaching Medicare coverage for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs.

Oral Wegovy Momentum

The Danish drugmaker disclosed on June 8 that prescriptions for its once-daily Wegovy pill surpassed three million in the roughly five months since its January 5 U.S. launch, with one prescription being filled approximately every five seconds. CNBC reported that more than 80 percent of new Wegovy pill patients were new to GLP-1 therapy, suggesting the oral formulation is expanding the market rather than cannibalizing the injectable version.wsj

The pill, which received FDA approval on December 22, 2025, is now available at more than 70,000 retail pharmacies nationwide, including through Amazon Pharmacy and telehealth platforms. Starting July 1, the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program will allow eligible Medicare beneficiaries to access Wegovy for a $50 monthly copay, a move expected to open up the drug to millions of seniors.americanmedspa

Ransomware Attack

The rally came despite an ongoing cybersecurity crisis. A hack-and-leak group called FulcrumSec claimed responsibility for stealing 1.3 terabytes of data from Novo Nordisk, including proprietary drug information, source code, and AI model details, according to Reuters. The group attempted to extort $25 million from the company, which refused to pay. Novo Nordisk confirmed on June 11 that it had experienced unauthorized access to internal IT systems. A second threat actor has also demanded $50 million, according to reporting by Fierce Pharma, bringing the total extortion attempts to $75 million.shieldworkz

Analyst Outlook

On June 17, Berenberg analyst Kerry Holford raised the firm’s price target on Novo Nordisk to 325 Danish kroner from 300, maintaining a Buy rating. The upgrade reflects confidence that oral Wegovy’s prescription trajectory will help the company reach the upper end of its revised full-year guidance, which was raised after first-quarter results showed the pill exceeding expectations.stockanalysis

The stock’s gains on Friday marked a turnaround for a company whose shares fell nearly 20% in early February after it warned of “unprecedented” price pressures in 2026.pharmaceutical-technology