Ozempic is a prescription medication primarily used to treat patients with type 2 diabetes. It's a GLP-1 receptor agonist, meaning it mimics the natural GLP-1 hormone in your body. The GLP-1 hormone helps regulate blood sugar, promotes insulin release from the pancreas, make you feel fuller longer, and reduces the amount of glucose produced by the liver.
The same key active ingredient in Ozempic (semaglutide) is approved in a higher-dose version called Wegovy for weight management. In 2024, combined sales of Ozempic and Wegovy reached approximately $26 billion. Some analysts think the global GLP-1 market could reach a valuation of close to $160 billion by the early 2030s.
If you want to invest in Ozempic and the future of the GLP-1 market, here’s what you need to know.
When will Ozempic IPO?
Ozempic is not going to have an initial public offering (IPO). Ozempic is a drug produced by Novo Nordisk. However, you can buy Novo Nordisk stock, which would give you a stake in the company that produces Ozempic.
Novo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk is a global healthcare company with a strong focus on diabetes care and, increasingly, on obesity and other serious chronic diseases. Headquartered in Denmark, the company manufactures and markets a wide range of pharmaceutical products.
Novo Nordisk produces numerous insulins, injectable diabetes treatments like GLP-1 therapies (e.g., Ozempic), oral antidiabetic agents, and obesity treatments. The company also has a biopharmaceutical segment focusing on protein therapies for hemophilia and other disorders. Novo Nordisk is currently exploring the potential of GLP-1 drugs for other patient uses, including treatment for addiction and early Alzheimer’s disease.
Novo Nordisk is currently working on its next generation of GLP-1 products. These include CagriSema, a combination therapy that utilizes semaglutide (the active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic) and an amylin analog (a synthetic medication that mimics the natural pancreatic peptide hormone amylin). Novo Nordisk is also actively developing amycretin, a novel GLP-1 and amylin receptor agonist, which is being developed in both subcutaneous and oral forms.
Eli Lilly
Eli Lilly boasts a diverse range of pharmaceutical products, particularly in disease areas such as diabetes, oncology, and neuroscience. The company is known for developing diabetes treatments like Humalog, Trulicity, and Mounjaro, as well as oncology drugs like Verzenio and Taltz.
In addition to this profitable portfolio of blockbuster drugs, Eli Lilly has its own top-selling GLP-1 drugs for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and weight management. Eli Lilly’s GLP-1 products have the same active ingredient, tirzepatide (approved as Zepbound for chronic weight management and Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes). In 2024, Eli Lilly's two GLP-1 drugs alone generated $16.4 billion in sales.
Mounjaro sales reached $11.54 billion, while Zepbound, launched in 2023, achieved $4.9 billion in sales during its first full year on the market. In 2024, Eli Lilly's total revenue was approximately $45.0 billion, a 32% increase compared to the previous year. Eli Lilly is also developing orforglipron, a once-daily pill being studied for its potential in treating type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Viking Therapeutics
Viking Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that focuses on developing new treatments for metabolic and endocrine disorders. Viking's primary focus is on developing treatments for obesity, with VK2735 being its leading drug candidate in this area.
VK2735 is a dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist, a class of drugs that has shown promise for blood sugar control and appetite regulation to treat obesity and related metabolic conditions. The drug candidate is being studied both in tablet and injectable form.
Viking plans to initiate Phase 3 trials for the injectable version in the second half of 2025. The oral tablet formulation of VK2735 is currently in a Phase 2 trial, which has completed enrollment. Results from the trial are expected in the second half of 2025.
A step-by-step guide
Step 1: Open your brokerage app: Log into your brokerage account where you handle your investments.
Step 2: Search for the stock: Enter the ticker or company name into the search bar to bring up the stock's trading page.
Step 3: Decide how many shares to buy: Consider your investment goals and how much of your portfolio you want to allocate to this stock.
Step 4: Select order type: Choose between a market order to buy at the current price or a limit order to specify the maximum price you're willing to pay.
Step 5: Submit your order: Confirm the details and submit your buy order.
Step 6: Review your purchase: Check your portfolio to ensure your order was filled as expected and adjust your investment strategy accordingly.
Is Ozempic profitable?
Yes, Ozempic is highly profitable. Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic, has reported substantial revenue and profit increases driven by strong sales of Ozempic and its weight loss counterpart, Wegovy. Novo Nordisk's net profit jumped by 21% in 2024, largely fueled by the success of the two drugs.
Should I invest in Ozempic?
Whether or not you should invest in GLP-1 stocks like Novo Nordisk, the drugmaker behind Ozempic, is a personal decision and will depend on your objectives for your portfolio. Investing in GLP-1 stocks can be attractive due to the significant market potential and growing applications of these drugs, which are revolutionizing the treatment of Type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Many healthcare companies are vying for a piece of the GLP-1 market. While Novo Nordisk is an established business, most of the hopes for its growth story hinge around the continued success of its GLP-1 franchise.
A leading GLP-1 drug company like Eli Lilly currently trades at a significant premium. However, it represents an opportunity to put cash to work in a major healthcare company with significant potential outside the GLP-1 space, as it has a diverse portfolio of blockbuster products across numerous therapeutic areas.
For investors with a healthy risk appetite, investing in a clinical-stage company like Viking Therapeutics could represent an opportunity with notable upside if its GLP-1 candidates make it to market. The company is also working on another pipeline of candidates targeting diseases like Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD).
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The bottom line on Ozempic
Investing in GLP-1 stocks like Novo Nordisk, the company that makes Ozempic, can be an exciting opportunity due to the massive market potential that is still untapped. For investors who want to gain exposure to the GLP-1 space, investing in leading drugmakers like Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly or a clinical-stage company like Viking Therapeutics could present a compelling opportunity to put cash to work.
For investors who would rather take a less individualized approach, putting cash into a basket of stocks through an ETF that contains numerous companies, including key GLP-1 players, could be a smart move.
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