Overview

• The company confirmed a global pause on non‑business‑critical hiring on Wednesday as it reassesses expenses.
• Novo’s workforce swelled from 43,260 in 2019 to 77,350 last year, with employee costs near $9.9 billion, margins at a two‑and‑a‑half‑year low in Q2, a $490 billion market‑cap decline from the peak, and guidance that sales could fall in the second half of 2025.
• Executives have not ruled out job cuts, and analysts say U.S. sales roles may be at risk after Novo de‑prioritized Rybelsus and built overlapping teams for Wegovy and Ozempic.
• More than 1,800 U.S. lawsuits alleging inadequate GLP‑1 safety warnings are consolidated in Pennsylvania, now in discovery with bellwether trials scheduled for early 2026.
• Employers surveyed expect a 9% rise in health costs next year tied partly to greater GLP‑1 use, while Novo expands geographically with Wegovy’s June launch in India showing early uptake.