Wegovy: the slimming drug that keeps Denmark’s economy growing

Novo Nordisk’s headquarters in Bagsvaerd, north-west of Copenhagen. Photograph: Scanpix Denmark/Reuters

In the leafy middle-class suburb of Bagsværd, near a lake north-west of Copenhagen, the drugmaker Novo Nordisk’s white circular headquarters rise from the ground like a giant flying saucer. The building looks like a sci-fi film set made by Lego, another stalwart of the Danish economy.

Thanks to booming demand for its weight loss treatment Wegovy, the Danish business last week became Europe’s biggest company by stock market value, overtaking the previous holder of that title, French luxury group LVMH. Novo Nordisk’s stock market value of £340bn now exceeds Denmark’s entire economic output, estimated at £323bn this year.