100 Most Influential People in Healthcare - 2023

Since being promoted to head Novo Nordisk’s North American operations in 2017, Langa has worked to strengthen the company’s product lines to treat hemophilia, growth hormone-related diseases and cardiovascular conditions. But the company’s glucagon-like peptide 1, or GLP-1, drugs have made a particularly big impact in the healthcare space. More than 911,000 people living with obesity have been prescribed Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy since it was introduced in North America in 2021; 6.3 million North American residents with type 2 diabetes have received Ozempic or another GLP-1. In 2022, the company’s diabetes and obesity care products, including Ozempic and Wegovy, accounted for 87% of Novo Nordisk’s global sales. Langa helps guide the company’s programs to counter obesity stigma, including the It’s Bigger Than Me campaign. Before joining Novo Nordisk in 2011, Langa worked for GlaxoSmithKline and other pharmaceutical and medical-device companies.