Novo Nordisk is becoming Novo in its day-to-day communications, as the Danish pharmaceutical company introduces a shorter name, a redesigned logo and a new corporate identity. The change, announced on September 14, comes as the maker of Wegovy and Ozempic adapts to a more consumer-driven obesity market and stronger competition from USA-based Eli Lilly. The company’s legal name, Novo Nordisk A/S, will remain unchanged. Novo Nordisk’s official announcement
Why Novo Nordisk is becoming Novo
The most visible part of the Novo Nordisk rebrand is the removal of “Nordisk” from the name presented to customers and the public. The company said that Novo will be used as its day-to-day name worldwide, while Novo Nordisk A/S will continue to be its legal global company name.
The new identity is built around the slogan “Lasting Health Starts Now”. According to the company, the shorter branding is intended to make Novo more recognisable and consistent as it increasingly communicates directly with patients and consumers rather than primarily with healthcare professionals and institutions.
The change therefore goes beyond shortening the name. Novo is also introducing a new corporate framework called “The Novo Way”, centred on customer focus, competitiveness, clarity, and care and integrity. The company says the changes are intended to increase speed and focus in a healthcare market that is becoming more competitive and consumer-driven.
The Apis bull now looks forward
Novo has also redesigned its long-standing Apis bull logo. The bull, a reference to the sacred animal associated with fertility and strength in ancient Egyptian culture, has been part of the company’s visual identity since the early years of Novo.
In the new version, the bull has been turned around and now faces to the right, following the direction in which Western text is read. Its tail has also been shortened and the use of colour simplified. DR’s analysis of the new visual identity
Danish communications adviser Sune Bang described the redesign to DR as a simplification rather than a radical transformation. He interpreted the bull’s new direction as a signal that Novo wants to focus on opportunities in a changing market rather than on its historical dominance in diabetes treatments.
The symbolism also fits a broader commercial shift. Søren Løntoft Hansen, senior analyst at AL Sydbank, told Ritzau that the obesity market works differently from the traditional pharmaceutical business because patients increasingly approach doctors themselves to ask about treatment. That makes branding and direct recognition more important for pharmaceutical companies.
A pharmaceutical company becoming more consumer-facing
Novo’s best-known products include Ozempic, developed for type 2 diabetes, and Wegovy, used for weight management. Their rapid growth has transformed the company and helped create a global market for GLP-1 medicines in which Novo now competes particularly closely with Eli Lilly.
That competition has also pushed pharmaceutical companies closer to consumers. In the USA, Novo has expanded direct-to-consumer and self-pay options for Wegovy as companies compete over prices, access and patient loyalty.
The new identity reflects that shift. Bang told DR that Novo is increasingly trying to act as a recognisable brand rather than only as a pharmaceutical company selling through healthcare systems. He compared the shortened name with other companies that have simplified established corporate identities, while noting that Novo’s main competitor Eli Lilly already commonly markets itself simply as Lilly.
Novo itself says its updated brand should strengthen recognition and trust across medicines, partnerships, marketing and other interactions with patients and stakeholders.
The rebrand comes during a wider reset at Novo
The timing is also significant. Novo has faced increased pressure as Eli Lilly has gained ground in the obesity-drug market, forcing the Danish company to rethink how it competes in one of the pharmaceutical industry’s fastest-growing sectors.
President and CEO Mike Doustdar said the company needs to respond to changing expectations about healthcare and make treatments more relevant and easier to integrate into people’s daily lives. Novo says the new brand and corporate culture are intended to support that strategy without changing the company’s underlying purpose.
More details about the wider transformation are expected on September 21, when Novo holds its Capital Markets Day in London and presents its updated corporate strategy to investors.
For one of Denmark’s most internationally recognisable companies, dropping “Nordisk” from everyday use is a significant symbolic change. But the Danish connection has not disappeared from the company itself: Novo Nordisk A/S remains the legal name, even as the shorter Novo brand is intended to compete in an increasingly global and consumer-oriented healthcare market.
