Novo Nordisk's US Public Affairs Head Jennifer Duck Exits Amid Pricing Pressure, Obesity Drug Battle

The departure, previously unreported, sees U.S. public affairs head Jennifer Duck leave the firm. It follows a major global restructuring under CEO Mike Doustdar that includes cutting 9,000 jobs across departments and regions. One source said the memo was sent to staff late last week.

The wider overhaul has paved the way for new hires, such as veteran U.S. pharma executive Greg Miley ‌in November as ‍Novo's new global head of corporate affairs.

The memo said Duck, previously a ‍senior adviser to prominent U.S. Democratic senators, "has made the personal decision to leave ‌Novo Nordisk and pursue other opportunities outside of the organization".

The memo added that Chris Pernie will take on leadership of the U.S. public affairs team on an interim basis with immediate effect. Pernie's LinkedIn profile says he is an executive director of government affairs at Novo.

Duck led Novo's U.S. public affairs for more than six years and worked on high-profile initiatives, including two matters involving the U.S. Senate's HELP Committee and two Inflation Reduction Act "maximum fair price" ‍processes, the memo said.

Novo confirmed Duck's departure in an email to Reuters. The company said that her last day was Friday. Duck did not immediately respond ‍to a request ⁠for comment.

Novo, which has lost ⁠ground to Lilly over the past year and seen sales growth slow, has faced scrutiny in the U.S. over the pricing and access of its blockbuster obesity and diabetes drugs. It launched a new pill form of Wegovy on Monday.

CEO Doustdar is trying to restore investor confidence by sharpening Novo's focus, after a tough year in which the company issued multiple profit warnings and saw its shares almost halve in value.