Novo CEO Looks Beyond Weight Loss to Longevity, Aesthetics (1)

Novo Nordisk A/S Chief Executive Officer Mike Doustdar says the company’s blockbuster obesity drugs could ultimately pull it into increasingly buzzy areas of healthcare, from longevity research to aesthetic medicine.

“We have to be obsessed with what our patients want,” Doustdar said Sunday in an interview at the American Diabetes Association conference in New Orleans.

On longevity, Doustdar pointed to a growing body of research suggesting the main ingredient in Novo’s drugs Ozempic and Wegovy — semaglutide — may do more than just help patients lose weight. In some studies, Novo has said the drug protects vital organs including the ...