Novo Nordisk China Announces Major Business Restructuring to Strengthen GLP-1 and Insulin Leadership

(Source: Yidu Medicine)

Source: Yidu Medicine

On November 11, 2025, the latest organizational restructuring document from Novo Nordisk China revealed that the company will implement a major business reorganization starting January 1, 2026——

Emerging Business Division (EBD) officially renamed as the Insulin Division (IBD）：Divest the original GLP-1 related business, focus on the innovative insulin product line, continue the leadership accumulated over a century in the insulin field, and accelerate the introduction of innovative products;

Obesity and Diabetes Division (DOD) StrengthenGLP-1Core Position：Comprehensive UndertakingSemaglutideFull-scenario business, while consolidating the diabetes fieldNovo Nordisk®（Ozempic）The leading advantage, cultivationNovo Nordisk®（Rybelsus）Brand,更要以Novo Nordisk®（Wegovy）To Core Impact and Lead the Chinese Obesity Market;

Business and Retail Division (DRD) Build a moat for the channel:Coordinating the coverage of grassroots hospitals, the sales of volume-based procurement products, and the collaboration between online and offline retail to become the "terminal promoter" of the dual-core business.

If implemented, this will be the final move in Novo Nordisk China's series of strategic actions for 2025 — from personnel shake-ups at the beginning of the year, to department mergers mid-year, and finally a year-end focus on product portfolio optimization. A strategic restructuring centered around "GLP-1 growth + insulin foundation" has been completed, echoing the transformation needs amid global management turbulence.

The Logic Behind the Adjustment of China's Market Growth

Novo Nordisk's Q3 Earnings Report Provides Key Insights on November 5: Total revenue for the first three quarters reached DKK 229.92 billion (approximately USD 34.58 billion), a year-on-year increase of 15%. Revenue from the Chinese market amounted to DKK 14.874 billion (approximately USD 2.237 billion), up 8% year-on-year. Behind this seemingly steady growth lies three strategic considerations.

First, GLP-1 remains the core of growth. The semaglutide series contributed nearly 74% of the global total revenue (approximately $26.246 billion), with the three major brands showing a "polarized" growth trend:

Weight Loss Version of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy®Sales in the first three quarters reached 57.242 billion Danish kroner (approximately 8.822 billion US dollars), a year-on-year surge of 54%, continuing to lead the growth market;

Diabetes Injection Version of Novo Nordisk's Ozempic®Revenue of 95.264 billion Danish kroner (approximately 14.682 billion US dollars), increased by 13% year-on-year, consolidating the basic market with economies of scale;

Oral Semaglutide Tablets NovoRin® (Rybelsus)Achieved sales of 16.79 billion Danish kroner (approximately 2.588 billion US dollars), a year-on-year increase of 5%, becoming a key pivot for the oral formulation layout.

In the Chinese market, three major brand echelons have emerged: NovoEvo®, commercially launched in November 2024, achieved sales of DKK 842 million (approximately USD 127 million) in the first half of 2025; for the first three quarters, it reached DKK 950 million (approximately USD 143 million). If the growth rate continues throughout the year, the market expects it to approach DKK 1.5 billion. Rybelsus, which was just launched in January, achieved sales of DKK 116 million (approximately USD 17 million) in the first half of the year, with a small base but has completed initial market penetration. NovoTel® has been affected by generic drug competition and changes in medication structure, resulting in a 5% year-on-year decline in sales in the first half.

Overall, the GLP-1 series has become a key variable driving growth in China, but competitive pressure has fully emerged:Eli Lilly's Tirzepatide series achieved a sales revenue of $24.837 billion in the first three quarters, narrowing the gap with Semaglutide to less than $1 billion; six domestically produced GLP-1 innovative drugs, including Innovent's Mastytide, have entered Phase III clinical trials, while generic drug manufacturers are accelerating their layout ahead of patent expiration.

As a long-standing dominant field with over a century of expertise, Novo Nordisk's insulin products generated a global revenue of 39.736 billion Danish kroner (approximately 6.124 billion US dollars) in the first three quarters. In China’s grassroots markets and volume-based procurement, the company still holds a certain market share. The establishment of a dedicated IBD division can prevent resource dispersion and strengthen dual capabilities in "innovation + market access."

Moreover, channel synergy is imminent. After the DRD division coordinates all channels, it can both meet the GLP-1 consumer demand through online platforms and stabilize the insulin user base through grassroots coverage, precisely matching the market characteristics of "hierarchical medical treatment + retail upgrade" in China.

Notably, while China's 8% growth rate is lower than the 16% overall level in the Asia-Pacific region, it has demonstrated resilience against the backdrop of Novo Nordisk’s two global downward revisions of its full-year performance forecast (narrowed from 8%-14% to 8%-11%). During the earnings call, management explicitly highlighted that China is a "core market with resource prioritization following structural adjustments," with a target to increase growth to over 12% by 2026.

Novo Nordisk in China"The Road to Resilience"

This final adjustment to the structure is also a continuation of Novo Nordisk China's series of changes for 2025, with each step closely aligned with market changes and global strategy.

In March, Jiang Yiwei, Vice President of the Emerging Business Division, resigned, and Niu Yanlai, head of the Rare Disease Business, took over. His experience in building patient support systems laid the groundwork for the expansion of insulin business.

In April, Sasha Semienchuk, former General Manager of the South Korea region, was appointed Vice President of the Greater China market. His experience spanning GLP-1 and insulin fields has strengthened the synergy between the two businesses.

In June, the Obesity Business Unit was merged with the Insulin Division to form the DOD Division, which is now overseen in sales by Zhang Hui, Vice President of the Diabetes Division. The former Vice President of the Obesity Business Unit, Zhang Yifan, left and joined Lundbeck China, completing the integration of the core team and focusing on business priorities.

In September, Novo Nordisk announced global layoffs of 9,000 employees. Although the scale in China was not specified, through actions such as the renaming of EBD to focus, and the purification of DOD business operations via structural streamlining, the company aims to synchronize with its global strategy of "shifting resources towards high-growth businesses."

At the end of the year, the product boundaries between IBD and DOD were finally clarified, resolving the previous issue of overlapping businesses between departments. This echoes the demand for "accelerated transformation" after the collective leadership change at Novo Nordisk's global board of directors in October.

Behind a series of adjustments lies Novo Nordisk's urgent need to address a "dual challenge": After the core patent for semaglutide expires in 2026, generic drug manufacturers from China and India will ignite a price war. Nature predicts its price may drop to one-tenth of the current amount. Nearly 30 generic versions in China have entered clinical stages. To establish competitive barriers, the company must focus on structural optimization, brand cultivation, and channel reinforcement.

Source: E Pharmacy Boy