Novonesis growth forecast: Biosolutions in HMOs, precision proteins & supplements

After strong 2025 financial results for the Novonesis Human Health division, the company believes it is on track for continued growth over the next five years. The biosolutions specialist is betting on ingredient categories like precision proteins, human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), and solutions in women’s health, mental wellness, and metabolic health. 

Nutrition Insight discusses how the division’s 2025 organic growth fits in Novonesis’ five-year strategy and larger market trends with Henrik Jørck Nielsen, EVP of Human Health Biosolutions & Strategy. 

“When we grow 10%, of course, a lot of things have gone right on our end,” Nielsen tells us.

Looking at specific ingredient categories, he points to a strong growth in the precision protein business with anchor customers and solid growth in supplements. Although HMOs did not contribute as much in 2025, Novonesis had many new customers for these solutions, which Nielsen says bolsters confidence in the market’s future.

“Until 2030, we expect human health biosolutions to be one of the investment areas that will accelerate the company’s growth. We plan to grow above the company’s growth, which we have set at 6–9% over those five years.”

Market growth drivers

Nielsen reflects on signals that indicate growth in HMOs and precision proteins in the upcoming year.

“HMOs are now finally available on the general trade market in China. We’re also making progress in that market with initial approvals for our HMOs, and we remain strongly focused on this area. More broadly, this could boost demand and awareness globally.”

Although there is limited scientific research on HMOs beyond infant health, he sees opportunities and interest from brands to explore how these solutions can be leveraged in supplements for adults, alongside probiotics.

Until 2030, Novonesis expects human health biosolutions to be one of the investment areas that will accelerate the company’s growth, says Nielsen.In precision proteins, Novonesis currently has one solution on the market, but Nielsen says the company has a pipeline of new products.

While noting substantial global markets for supplements and probiotics, Nielsen says the growth rates have been slowing down in these markets. At the same time, fluctuations within these categories still offer many opportunities.

Novonesis is focusing on several emerging categories, including women’s health, mental wellness, and cardiometabolic health. “If demand continues to rise for more clinically documented products and within those segments, we are well-positioned. And that’s exactly what we’re seeing,” says Nielsen.

“That’s also what we saw in 2025. We’re making the right bets, and when we do so with the right partners, which are successful in the market, then we succeed as well.”

Meanwhile, he highlights the importance of working with successful business partners to support company growth. He stresses that companies are more actively seeking well-documented and scientifically backed ingredients.

“When we look at the overall US market, growth is in the mid-single digits, while some sources suggest growth is even lower than that. But when we look at the growth of the customers where we have significant business, we see higher growth.”

Novo Nordisk collaboration

Nielsen says Novonesis is collaborating with Novo Nordisk on a cardiometabolic clinical trial in 2026. This is part of an ongoing partnership between the Danish companies, which explores solutions to support gut health as part of healthy weight management.

“It’s exploratory; together with Novo Nordisk, we’re testing a blend of probiotics and prebiotics and studying several biomarkers associated with cardiometabolic health. The aim is to understand how we can influence them. We’re also looking at how those biomarkers correlate with cardiometabolic health parameters.”

Depending on the study’s outcomes, Novonesis may conduct additional trials with a cardiometabolic endpoint or develop new products.

Novonesis and Novo Nordisk’s exploratory research is testing how a blend of probiotics and prebiotics can influence cardiometabolic health biomarkers.Beyond this clinical trial, Nielsen expects more cardiometabolic and satiety solutions to come to the market, highlighting ongoing research and investments from ingredient companies.

He says there are many possible approaches to weight management, including GLP-1 therapies like Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy.

“One obvious approach is to help address side effects, such as nausea, since many experience them. There are many reasons to believe a supplement may help provide that support.”

Additionally, he points to opportunities being explored by many other industry players in augmenting weight loss benefits with supplements, especially as people transition on and off these therapies.

Supplement-plus category

On top of supplements and pharmaceuticals, Nielsen highlights the need for a third segment that goes beyond supplements but is not regulated at the same level as pharma. “That would be tremendously helpful,” he underscores. “We would also invest more in that substantiation.”

“As we become smarter and more sophisticated in understanding how different ingredients affect the body, there’s a need to be able to communicate that,” he highlights.

“We can say an apple is healthy — we all know that. We should be able to do something similar with supplements.”

At the same time, he underscores that such a new category or claim option would have to be regulated. “You would have to substantiate it, show that there is science behind it, and have some kind of label to say it supports preventive health. There are places around the world that already do that — such as Canada, Korea, and Brazil.”

Meanwhile, Nielsen highlights that people already spend more on health than on snacks, as the projected US supplement market is larger than the country’s snack market.

“If we could help channel some of that spending, if not all of it, toward products with documented health benefits, that could help consumers,” he adds. “Imagine the impact that could have, and at the same time how it would incentivize even more innovation and R&D in those kinds of products.”