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Novo Nordisk (Ozempic)

Last year Novo Nordisk, the Danish pharmaceutical company behind Ozempic and Wegovy, overtook LVMH to become Europe’s most valuable company. And the pull for Acquired to finally tackle healthcare (18% of US GDP!)

Ben GilberthostDavid Rosenthalhost

Jan 22, 20243h 45mWatch on YouTube ↗

Summaries, chapters, transcripts, and FAQs on this page are made by uListen, not YouTube.

EPISODE INFO

Released: January 22, 2024
Duration: 3h 45m
Channel: Acquired
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Last year Novo Nordisk, the Danish pharmaceutical company behind Ozempic and Wegovy, overtook LVMH to become Europe’s most valuable company. And the pull for Acquired to finally tackle healthcare (18% of US GDP!) became too strong for us to resist. While we didn’t know much about Novo Nordisk before diving in, our first thought was, “wow, seems like these new diabetes and obesity drugs mean serious trouble for big insulin companies.” And then… we realized that Novo Nordisk IS the big insulin company. And in a story befitting of Steve Jobs and Apple, they’d just disrupted themselves with the drug equivalent of an iPhone moment. Once we dug further, we quickly realized this company has it all: an incredible 100+ year history filled with Nobel Prizes, bitter personal rivalries, board room dramas, a generation-defining silicon valley innovation, lone voices persevering against all odds — and oh yeah, the world’s largest charitable foundation at its helm. Tune in for one incredible story! *Links:*
Chart: US Healthcare Spend by Category: https://www.drugchannels.net/2022/02/still-not-skyrocketing-new-cms-data.html
Chart: US Distribution and Reimbursement System (for pharmaceutical drugs): https://www.drugchannels.net/2019/03/new-2019-economic-report-on-us.html
Chart: Insulin Supply Chain: https://diabetesjournals.org/view-large/figure/3430167/dci180019f3.jpeg
YouTube Talk: What People Get Wrong about the Finances of the Drug Industry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LGqQJFdoWM
Alex Telford: The pharma industry from Paul Janssen to today: why drugs got harder to develop and what we can do about it: https://atelfo.github.io/2023/12/23/biopharma-from-janssen-to-today.html
Out-of-Pocket Health: Obesity Drugs: https://www.outofpocket.health/p/lets-talk-about-obesity-drugs?fromEmail=true
Out-of-Pocket Health: US Healthcare System Problems: https://www.outofpocket.health/p/all-of-the-main-problems-with-us-healthcare
All episode sources: https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/novo-nordisk-ozempic#sources
*Carve Outs:*
Noxgear Tracer 2 running vest: https://www.noxgear.com/tracer2
Drops of God: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15282746/
Wool by Hugh Howey: https://www.amazon.com/Wool-Hugh-Howey/dp/1476733953
Mere Mortals at San Francisco Ballet: https://www.sfballet.org/productions/mere-mortals/
Blackberry: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21867434/
_Note: Acquired hosts and guests may hold assets discussed in this episode. This podcast is not investment advice, and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. You should do your own research and make your own independent decisions when considering any financial transactions._

SPEAKERS

Ben Gilbert
host
David Rosenthal
host

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Acquired, featuring Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal, Novo Nordisk (Ozempic) explores Novo Nordisk’s century journey from insulin to Ozempic dominance The episode traces Novo Nordisk from insulin’s 1920s origins through a decades-long Danish rivalry (Nordisk vs. Novo) that accelerated innovation in insulin purification, duration, and delivery.

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