Author: Maggie Fike and Dan Levine
LONDON/SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 5 (Reuters) – Danish obesity drugmaker Novo Nordisk’s U.S. public affairs chief has left the company as it struggles to revive its fortunes in top markets, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters.
Like other drugmakers, the company is facing pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump over drug pricing and trying to regain ground lost to U.S. rival Eli Lilly and Co in the lucrative and competitive weight-loss market.
U.S. public affairs chief Jennifer Duck left the company, which was not previously reported. The move follows a major global restructuring by CEO Mike Doustdar that includes 9,000 job cuts across divisions and regions. The memo was sent to employees late last week, a source said.
Wider changes pave the way for new hires, such as veteran US pharmaceutical executive Greg Miley, who became Novo’s new global head of corporate affairs in November.
The memo said Darke, who served as a senior adviser to a prominent U.S. Democratic senator, “has made a personal decision to leave Novo Nordisk and pursue other opportunities outside the organization.”
The memo added that Chris Penny will lead the U.S. public affairs team on an interim basis, effective immediately. Pernie’s LinkedIn profile lists him as Novo’s executive director of government affairs.
Duck led Novo’s U.S. public affairs for more than six years and worked on a number of high-profile initiatives, including two matters involving the U.S. Senate HELP Committee and two Inflation Reduction Act “maximum fair price” processes, the memo said.
Novo confirmed Darke’s departure in an email to Reuters. The company said her last day was Friday.
Duck did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Novo, which has lost ground to Lilly in the past year and has struggled to grow sales, has faced scrutiny in the United States over the pricing and access of its top-selling obesity and diabetes drugs. It launched a new pill form of Wegovy on Monday.
Novo shares were up 3.5% at around 1530 GMT.
Chief Executive Officer Doustdar is trying to restore investor confidence by sharpening Novo’s focus after a difficult year that saw the company issue multiple profit warnings and see its share price nearly halve.
(Reporting by Maggie Fick in London and Dan Levine in San Francisco. Additional reporting by Leah Douglas in Washington and Patrick Wingrove in New York. Editing by Adam Jordan and Mark Porter)