Aug 4 (Reuters) - Novo Nordisk, maker of the

weight-loss drug Wegovy, has been sued in U.S. court by

investors claiming the Danish pharmaceutical giant misled them

with optimistic growth forecasts and minimized competition risks

in the obesity market.

The proposed class action lawsuit was filed on Friday in the

federal court in New Jersey following a sharp decline in the

company's stock price. Investors knocked $70 billion off Novo

Nordisk's market value on a single trading day last week.

Novo last week in a statement said it was lowering its 2025

sales and operating profit outlook due to lower growth

expectations in the second half in the United States for Wegovy

in the obesity market and the drugmaker's Ozempic in the

diabetes market.

Novo said its updated sales outlook for Wegovy stemmed from

the "persistent" use of compounded versions of the drug,

competition and what it described as slower-than-expected market

expansion.

A representative from Novo and an attorney for the plaintiff

did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday

about the investor lawsuit.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of potentially thousands of

investors who purchased Novo's stock between May 7, 2025 and

July 28.

The tight supply of Wegovy in the United States in 2022

prompted U.S. regulators to temporarily allow the sale of

cheaper, compounded versions of the drug, known chemically as

semaglutide. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in February

removed Wegovy from the agency's shortage list.

Novo in June said it was ending a partnership with

telehealth company Hims & Hers that began in late April, citing

Hims' alleged improper marketing and sales of Wegovy copies.

Novo accused Hims of "deceptive promotion and selling of

illegitimate, knockoff versions of Wegovy that put patient

safety at risk." Hims CEO Andrew Dudum in a response accused

Novo management of misleading the public and making

anticompetitive demands.

The case is Eric Barta v. Novo Nordisk et al, U.S. District

Court, District of New Jersey, No. 2:25-cv-14045.

For plaintiff: Adam Apton of Levi & Korsinsky

For defendants: No appearances yet

Read more:

Novo Nordisk shares dip further as Wegovy gains nearly

erased

Hims & Hers hit with investor lawsuits after Novo ends

Wegovy partnership

Wegovy maker Novo faces fee demand after losing copycat drug

lawsuit

Ozempic copies restricted after US judge denies injunction