Danish Health Minister Ida Auken has been called to a closed parliamentary consultation over whether the state will take Novo Nordisk to court to recover compensation paid to Wegovy users who lost their sight.
According to reporting by DR on September 24, 2026, Auken of the Social Democrats must tell the Folketing whether the state intends to sue the pharmaceutical company. The consultation was requested by Peder Hvelplund of the Red-Green Alliance.
The case concerns compensation paid out by the Ministry of the Interior and Health. DR reports that the state has so far paid more than 10 million kroner to a preliminary total of 27 Danes who have gone partially or fully blind in connection with Novo Nordisk’s weight-loss drug Wegovy.
In a written answer to the Folketing’s Health Committee, Auken stated that Kammeradvokaten, the government’s legal adviser, has now completed a confidential assessment. Per DR, the assessment addresses whether Novo Nordisk can actually be taken to court and made to pay the compensation.
Auken also wrote that the ministry is in dialogue with the drug manufacturer, according to DR. The content of the legal assessment has not been made public.
Behind closed doors
Hvelplund has asked for insight into Kammeradvokaten’s assessment at a so-called closed consultation, where the doors are shut to the public. As reported by DR, he argues that it must be left to the Folketing, and not to Novo Nordisk, to decide the consequences of the assessment.
Closed consultations are used in the Danish Parliament when ministers are to share confidential material with committee members. The format means that the underlying legal evaluation will not be published as part of the proceedings.
DR notes that the process began in December of last year. Then-Health Minister Sophie Løhde of the Liberal Party asked Kammeradvokaten to examine whether Novo Nordisk should pay the compensation awarded to affected patients.
Compensation in the cases has been paid by the state rather than by the manufacturer. DR has previously reported on individual patients who received millions of kroner after partial loss of sight, including one man who, according to the broadcaster, could have received twice as much.
Wegovy, which contains the active substance semaglutide, is one of Novo Nordisk’s best-known products and is widely used in Denmark for weight loss. The Danish debate around the drug has also covered side effects and treatment dropout rates.
DR did not report a date for the closed consultation with Auken. No decision on legal action against Novo Nordisk has been announced by the ministry.
