Novo Nordisk latest drugmaker to drop gender goals in US

By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Maggie Fick

COPENHAGEN/LONDON, May 7 (Reuters) - Obesity drugmaker Novo Nordisk NOVOb.CO said on Wednesday it would drop gender representation requirements for senior leadership positions in its U.S. 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% representation for each gender by the end of 2025, Novo Nordisk's operations in the U.S. 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 U.S. business, Novo joins peer European drugmakers who have acted to avoid potential penalties from recent U.S. executive orders.

In March, Swiss drugmaker Roche abandoned global diverse workforce targets and compatriot Novartis ended its use of diverse panels for U.S. hiring. In February, GSK announced it will no longer set diversity targets.