By Maggie Fick and Mrinalika Roy
January 13, 20267:17 AM ESTUpdated January 13, 2026
Jan 12 (Reuters) – Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO), opens new tab CEO Mike Doustdar said on Monday as many as 1.5 million patients in the U.S. may be using compounded versions of blockbuster GLP-1 drugs, underscoring how cheaper, unapproved alternatives have captured a significant share of demand for obesity treatments.
Speaking on a panel at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, Doustdar said compounders understood consumer needs better than the pharmaceutical industry initially did, allowing them to attract patients who were unable or unwilling to pay for branded medicines.
Novo, the maker of the obesity drug Wegovy, has repeatedly warned about the risks of compounded and knock-off versions of GLP-1 medicines, often sold online and marketed directly to consumers.
Doustdar said many patients were likely drawn to compounded GLP-1s priced around $199 per month, compared with branded products that can cost several hundred dollars without insurance coverage.
“It’s not because this one-and-a-half million patients like to have unsafe, knock-off versions of our products… they (compounders) grabbed a part of the consumers that simply were price sensitive to the whole thing.”
Read full article: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/novo-nordisk-ceo-flags-15-million-us-users-compounded-glp-1-drugs-2026-01-12/