Novo CEO Transition Comes at Crucial Moment in U.S. Weight-Loss Market

Maziar Mike Doustdar becomes Novo Nordisk CEO effective from Aug 7, 2025, tasked with defending and expanding U.S. weight-loss drug market share amid rising pressure.

Novo Nordisk, the Danish pharmaceutical giant behind blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy, is preparing for a major leadership handover at a critical juncture in the U.S. market. Effective August 7, 2025, seasoned executive Maziar Mike Doustdar will become President and CEO, succeeding Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, whose eight-year tenure helped propel the company into the global spotlight through the success of its GLP-1 drugs. Though headquartered in Denmark, Novo Nordisk’s future is tightly intertwined with the U.S. market its most profitable region by far. With over $14 billion in U.S. revenue driven by weight-loss and diabetes therapies, Novo’s fate increasingly hinges on navigating intensifying local challenges: supply chain bottlenecks, payer resistance, and fierce competition from Eli Lilly’s Zepbound.

Doustdar’s task is clear but formidable: protect and expand U.S. market share while recalibrating the company’s approach to drug pricing, availability, and real-world outcomes. His ability to address insurer pushback, smooth out distribution issues, and lead under a microscope of political and regulatory scrutiny will be the defining test of his early tenure.

Industry analysts note that while Doustdar brings decades of global experience having previously led international operations the U.S. weight-loss arena presents a new level of scrutiny and complexity. His leadership must now deliver across three high-stakes fronts: securing payer confidence through stronger clinical and economic data, expanding U.S.-based manufacturing to stabilize supply, and strengthening public and policy trust in GLP-1 therapies amid rising cost pressures. While Doustdar’s appointment signals continuity at Novo Nordisk, the stakes in the U.S. could hardly be higher. With GLP-1 drugs shaping up to be the next multibillion-dollar category in American healthcare, any missteps could open the door further to rivals and erode Novo’s lead.