UAE is Novo Nordisk’s launchpad for a 70-country GLP-1 push

Novo Nordisk is building a UAE hub on one premise: most people in the Gulf who could be on obesity medication aren’t. Gulf General Manager Venkat Kalyan tells us that 60-70% of the region’s population is overweight or obese and that fewer than 5-10% of those affected receive medication.

That gap is the commercial logic behind a run of UAE firsts: The Wegovy pill launched in the UAE ahead of any market outside the US (Bahrain has since approved it too). In addition, a new Gulf affiliate oversees six markets from the UAE, and one of Novo’s three global distribution centers is taking shape, with technical specialists from Denmark already on the ground, Venkat tells us.

Novo has been here for more than 40 years, treated 90k patients in the country in 2025, and invested almost AED 12 mn (c. USD 3.3 mn) in local R&D over the past decade, mostly clinical trials and real-world evidence studies. Kalyan says patient numbers will “definitely” grow and sees “significant potential” for deeper research ties with UAE institutions.

We spoke with Kalyan, who took his GM post earlier this year, on the sidelines of the Future Health Summit in Abu Dhabi last week to get a sense of why the firm picked the UAE for one of only three distribution centers and for the launch of the pill, and more. Edited excerpts from our conversation:

Enterprise: Why did Novo make the UAE its first launch market for the Wegovy pill and the base for one of its three global distribution centers?

VK: We are really prioritizing the UAE. The country stood out for its logistics, connectivity, and a stable regulatory environment. The center links our production sites in Europe, Asia, and the Americas with markets across the Gulf, Africa, and Central Asia. Once fully scaled, it should support access for more than 2.6 mn patients in markets with over 1 bn people. The UAE was also the second country after the US to approve the oral Wegovy, so we made it the first market outside the US to launch.

Across the Gulf, close to 60-70% of the population is overweight or obese, but the number of people who actually get the medicines is less than 5-10%. There’s big underdiagnosis, and even among those diagnosed, very few get pharmacotherapy. The potential is really big.

E: Where do the pill launch and the distribution center stand today?

VK: The Wegovy pill is very much available here, and the response has been very good. Patients and doctors are happy to have the choice between a once-weekly injection and a once-daily pill. It’s also been approved in Bahrain.

The distribution center is going in line with the agreed milestones. The initial team of experts from Denmark has arrived on site, and the center will develop in successive phases to ultimately cover close to 70 countries. The scientific office is also going very well. Our new Gulf affiliate, which runs medical, marketing, and communications, oversees the GCC except Saudi Arabia: the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar, plus Yemen.

E: What are your priorities for your first year as GM, and where does longevity fit?

VK: Obesity, diabetes, and getting the big projects up and running. We’ve now rebranded to Novo, with a new promise, “lasting health starts now,” so communicating that comes first. In obesity, it’s bringing the best innovation to more patients and more doctors. In diabetes, we’re launching higher-dose semaglutide and bringing a once-weekly insulin. Third is making sure the distribution center and the scientific office are operational.

Addressing the burden of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease takes much more than the availability of innovative medicines. It requires earlier diagnosis, sustainable access and reimbursement, long-term disease management, and continued public awareness.

Supply-chain resilience is another priority. Recent years have shown how important it is that medicines reach patients reliably, which is why the UAE’s focus on pharma security and continuity of supply is so relevant.

Longevity is a new science, and our GLP-1 is where a lot of it is happening. At the conference, our scientists showed data from our own clinical trials suggesting semaglutide reduces biological markers of organ aging. It doesn’t mean it will extend lifespan now, but it’s [going] in the right direction. The trials showed it treats diabetes, reduces obesity, and gives cardiovascular benefits.