Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk revealed that it will fall short on meeting the demands for its new obesity drug, Wegovy, after its contract manufacturing partner struggled with issues relating to good manufacturing practices.
Novo declined to name the contract manufacturer but told investors that the issues concerned a European site of a large international company.
According to a brief press release issued by Novo, the CMO filling syringes for pens to inject the drug — which helps to achieve a weight loss of 17% on average over almost two years — had halted deliveries and manufacturing temporarily after GMP issues.
Novo, racing to establish the new drug on the market before the 2024 launch of rival Eli Lilly's tirzepatide drug for obesity, now expects to be able to meet U.S. demand for Wegovy in the second half of next year.
