Novonesis has shifted its supplement research with Novo Nordisk toward possible benefits for people taking GLP-1 drugs, Reuters reported, as weaker probiotic sales weigh on the Danish company’s Human Health business.
Human Health organic sales fell 8% in the third quarter of 2026. Net sales declined to €117.5 million from €126.2 million in the third quarter of 2025, Novonesis said in its interim report. The company cited weakness in North American probiotic supplements. It also said the impact of customers’ exposure to continuing changes in sales channels and product formats was greater than expected.
A survey points to supplement spending during GLP-1 treatment, though it does not measure demand for the product Novonesis is studying. In a June 2026 Strategy& survey of 2,315 UK consumers covered by PwC, about 40% of GLP-1 users said they spent more on vitamins, minerals and supplements while taking the drugs. About 37% reported spending more on prebiotics or probiotics.
PwC’s net measure of intention to increase supplement spending was +29% during treatment and +4% after stopping.
Novonesis and Novo Nordisk announced their partnership on Sept. 8, 2025. They planned to investigate a supplement combining probiotics and prebiotics, examining measures including blood-glucose levels and cholesterol. A Novo Nordisk spokesperson said the work had shifted toward possible benefits alongside GLP-1 medicines, Reuters reported on Aug. 20, 2026.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) label for Wegovy injections says 73% of adults given the drug in weight-reduction trials reported gastrointestinal adverse reactions, compared with 47% given a placebo. Those trials did not test whether the proposed supplement relieves such reactions.
Novonesis CEO Ester Baiget told Reuters she expected results from the companies’ research in the second half of 2027.
