Novo Nordisk latest drugmaker to drop gender goals in US

This follows executive orders by President Donald Trump to stop diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives

Published Wed, May 7, 2025 · 06:55 PM

Obesity drugmaker Novo Nordisk said on Wednesday (May 7) it would drop gender representation requirements for its US business following executive orders by President Donald Trump to stop diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

“While Novo Nordisk maintains our global aspiration of a minimum 45 per cent representation for each gender by the end of 2025, Novo Nordisk’s operations in the US will no longer participate in this global initiative due to evolving legal requirements,” the company said in its first-quarter earnings statement.

Following Trump taking office in January and up to Wednesday, the Danish company had, when asked, affirmed it would not change its stance on the importance of a diverse workforce.

With the changed stance for its US business, Novo joins peer European drugmakers who have acted to avoid potential penalties from recent US executive orders.

In March, Swiss drugmaker Roche abandoned global diverse workforce targets and compatriot Novartis ended its use of diverse panels for US hiring.

In February, GSK announced it will no longer set diversity targets. REUTERS

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