How Wegovy manufacturer Novo Nordisk reshaped weight loss

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Wondering who makes your Wegovy injections? Let us introduce you to Novo Nordisk.

This Danish pharmaceutical company has spent over a century refining hormone science, and its work with semaglutide has changed how clinicians think about obesity.

In this article, we share how this breakthrough drug grew from diabetes research and transformed the world of weight loss forever.

From humble beginnings to hormone pioneer

Novo Nordisk started life in Denmark in 1923. At this stage, the company consisted of two small laboratories making insulin for people with diabetes. Insulin was new, and the demand for the life-saving drug was growing across Europe.

Throughout the 20th century, Novo Nordisk's research teams worked to improve formulations, build sterile production lines and train clinicians in modern injection techniques. In the 1980s, they introduced the first disposable insulin pen, making daily treatment easier for millions of people.

The company's focus was on hormone therapy – and on making sure the people who most needed its products could access them. At the same time, it explored new possibilities. All this laid the groundwork for the weight management treatments it would eventually create.

Unlocking the potential of GLP-1s

By the 1990s, Novo Nordisk was studying a gut hormone called 'glucagon-like peptide 1'. This hormone is more commonly known as 'GLP-1'.

GLP-1 lets your body know it's full after eating and slows stomach emptying. It also helps keep your blood sugar stable.

Eventually, Novo Nordisk's researchers developed semaglutide – a synthetic version of GLP-1 with longer-lasting effects.

In 2017, semaglutide launched in the US as a type 2 diabetes treatment under the brand name Ozempic. Studies had shown that semaglutide was very effective at regulating blood sugar levels,¹ so it quickly became a trusted diabetes drug.

However, blood sugar control wasn't the only benefit. As with other GLP-1s, semaglutide users also tended to experience significant weight loss. Keen to study this effect, Novo Nordisk launched the landmark STEP trials.

The STEP trials

Excited about semaglutide's potential for people living with obesity, Novo Nordisk launched the Semaglutide Treatment Effect in People with Obesity (STEP) clinical programme.

The STEP programme was a series of large, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials conducted across multiple countries with thousands of participants. Participants received either weekly injections of semaglutide or a placebo, and both groups were given healthy lifestyle advice.

The results showed that people in the semaglutide group lost close to 15% of their body weight on average compared to just 2.4% in the placebo group. Those taking semaglutide also saw improvements in blood pressure and waist circumference. This gave the researchers confidence and opened doors for Wegovy – a version of semaglutide approved as a weight loss treatment.

Ozempic manufacturer turned weight loss champion

On the back of STEP's exciting results, regulators approved semaglutide for chronic weight management under a new brand name. When Wegovy arrived in 2021, it saw rapid adoption and was much celebrated in medical literature.

Novo Nordisk, already known as the manufacturer of Ozempic, became the public face of this new era. Searches for 'who makes Wegovy?' spiked as awareness grew.

Word was getting out. The same active ingredient that supported diabetes care now had a vital new role in treating obesity.

Meeting worldwide demand

The rapid success of Wegovy came with challenges. Demand for Ozempic and Wegovy exceeded expectations – and neither is a simple drug to manufacture. Semaglutide is a large, complex molecule that must be produced under tightly controlled conditions. It's then filled into preset pens and shipped within a carefully managed cold chain.

Novo Nordisk responded by expanding its facilities in Denmark, the US and France to keep supply flowing. It also trained new staff and added quality checks to protect its position as the only trusted semaglutide manufacturer.

Changing how the world treats – and talks about – obesity

As Wegovy and other GLP-1s became more widely available, health services began using the treatments as part of wider weight-management care.

But Wegovy hasn't only changed how doctors treat obesity. You could make a strong argument that the rise of Wegovy also helped change how people think and talk about the condition.

Certainly, as GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy have become more widely available, people have started talking about obesity more openly. And with this openness has come a growing awareness of obesity as a chronic disease influenced by biology, not just a failure of self-control.

Picture of a group of people in conversation.

The economic and ethical impact

There's an ongoing debate about cost and access relating to Wegovy and other GLP-1s.

Health services must balance the savings from fewer diabetes cases and hospital stays against the high price of long-term treatment. And insurers and policymakers must look for fair ways to prioritise people facing the keenest health risks.

There are ethical questions, too, such as how to set realistic expectations and how to support healthy habits after weight loss.

These conversations are further evidence that obesity is being treated as a mainstream health priority rather than a personal failing.

Discover expert-led Wegovy treatment with SemaPen

As effective as Wegovy is, we know that weekly injections will only do so much for your health and weight loss journey. That's why we pair Wegovy treatment with structured, professional support from our obesity experts. It's all about giving you the extra help you need to move forward with confidence.

With SemaPen, you get:

A thorough medical check: your health history and goals are reviewed by experienced clinicians to confirm that Wegovy is appropriate and safe.
A guided treatment plan: as a SemaPen subscriber, you'll know exactly what to expect with Wegovy dosing and weight loss from the start.
Ongoing expert contact: you'll stay in touch with our clinicians throughout your treatment. They'll step in to offer advice if you need help getting back on track. And they'll always be there to answer questions and help you stay motivated.
Help creating lasting habits: alongside your weekly Wegovy injections, you also get access to exclusive content through the SemaPen app. With tips and recipes from our expert dietitians, you can form healthy habits that last a lifetime.

Ready to take the next step? Our team is here to answer your questions and guide you through every stage of treatment.

We've created a simple digital consultation to make it easy to get started. All you need to do is take your SemaPen assessment and you'll find out instantly if Wegovy is right for you.

Sources

1. Aroda, V.R. et al. (2019) "Comparative efficacy, safety, and cardiovascular outcomes with once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide in the treatment of type 2 diabetes: Insights from the SUSTAIN 1-7 trials" Diabetes & Metabolism, 45(5) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diabet.2018.12.001

2. Wilding, J.P.H. et al. (2021) "Once-weekly semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity" The New England Journal of Medicine, 384(11) https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2032183

This article was reviewed and approved by Alice Fletcher, Lead Bariatric Dietitian, on 29 September 2025.

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