Novo Nordisk’s new top executive will need to help the company close the gap with Eli Lilly, fend off emerging rivals and navigate other challenges

Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen is stepping down as the Danish drug giant faces increased competition for its weight-loss drugs and declining share price.

In the near term, commercial efforts might raise the chances that new patients are prescribed Novo Nordisk’s drug, assuming there’s little real-world difference between brands. This is a growth area, and analysts are reasonably sanguine about Novo Nordisk’s chances of making hay while US its patent lasts.

Online weight-loss company Noom has begun offering smaller doses of compounded versions of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy as the U.S. drugs regulator clamps down on mass production of copies of the in-demand medicine.