Annual report 2021

Performance highlights

To reflect the broad aspects of Novo Nordisk across therapy areas and geographies, Novo Nordisk introduced in 2019 a comprehensive approach describing the future growth aspirations of the company under the headline Strategic Aspirations 2025. 

The strategic aspirations are objectives that Novo Nordisk intends to work towards and are not a projection of Novo Nordisk's financial outlook or expected growth.

2025 strategic aspirations

  • Being respected for adding value to society
  • Progress towards zero environmental impact
  • Ensure distinct core capabilities and evolve culture

2021 highlights 

Adding value to society:

  • Medical treatment provided to 34.6 million people living with diabetes in 2021
  • 46 new vulnerability assessments conducted enabling access to insulin to around 82,000 people living with diabetes
  • Reaching 19 countries and around 32,000 children in Changing Diabetes® in Children

Progress towards zero environmental impact:

  • 43% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to 2019
Evolve culture and ensure distinct core capabilities:
  • Launch of an aspirational gender diversity target

2025 strategic aspirations

  • Further raise the innovation-bar for diabetes treatment
  • Develop a leading portfolio of superior treatment solutions for obesity
  • Strengthen and progress the Biopharm pipeline
  • Establish presence in other serious chronic diseases focusing on cardiovascular disease (CVD), NASH and chronic kidney disease (CKD)

2021 highlights

Further raise innovation bar for diabetes treatment:

  • Approval of Xulthophy® and Ozempic® in China for the treatment of type 2 diabetes
  • Resubmission of semaglutide 2.0 mg in the US and approval in the EU in January 2022
  • Phase 1 trial completed with a glucose-sensitive insulin
Develop superior treatment solutions for obesity:
  • Approval of Wegovy®, semaglutide 2.4 mg, in the US and approval in the EU in January 2022
  • Phase 3a development initiated with 50 mg oral semaglutide in obesity

Strengthen and progress Biopharm pipeline:

  • Sogroya® phase 3 programme in children with growth hormone deficiency successfully completed
  • First Mim8 phase 1/2 trial cohorts successfully completed

Establish presence in other serious chronic diseases:

  • Phase 3a development initiated with ziltivekimab in cardiovascular disease and semaglutide in NASH and Alzheimer's disease

Acquisition of Dicerna Pharmaceuticals and its RNAi platformto be applied across therapy areas

Read the full story in the report

2025 strategic aspirations

  • Strengthen diabetes leadership – aim at global value market share of more than 1/3
  • Strengthen obesity leadership and double 2019 reported sales
  • Secure a sustained growth outlook for Biopharm

2021 highlights

Strengthen diabetes leadership to more than one-third:

  • Diabetes value market share increased by 0.8 percentage point to 30.1% (MAT)

Strengthen obesity leadership and double sales:

  • Obesity care sales increased by 55% (CER) to DKK 8.4 billion

Secure a sustained growth outlook for Biopharm:

  • Biopharm sales increased by 4% (CER) to DKK 19.2 billion

Read the full story in the report

2025 strategic aspirations

  • Deliver solid sales and operating profit growth:
    • Deliver 6–10% sales growth in IO
    • Transform 70% of sales in the US (from 2015 to 2022)
  • Drive operational efficiencies across the value chain to enable investments in future growth assets
  • Deliver free cash flow to enable attractive capital allocation to shareholders
2021 highlights

Deliver solid sales and operating profit growth:
  • Sales growth at 14% (CER)
  • International Operations sales growth of 14% (CER)
  • US sales growth of 13% (CER) with 60% of sales coming from products launched since 2015
  • Operating profit growth of 13% (CER)

Drive operational efficiencies:

  • Continued productivity gains in Product Supply

Enable attractive capital allocation to shareholders:

  • Free cash flow of DKK 29.3 billion
  • Share buyback of DKK 20 billion
  • Total dividend of DKK 10.40 per share and payout ratio of 49.6%

Read the full story in the report

 

Financials highlighst

Performance highlights

140,800

DKK million in net sales 

58,644

DKK million in operating profit 

48,478

DKK million in net profit 

28,565

DKK million in free cash flow