Source: Denmark’s real defence mechanism is its pharmaceutical trade
fta:
But it does have the sort of leverage that matters in the modern global economy because Denmark is not just a small NATO state of about the size of Scotland; it is also a critical supplier of medicines to the United States, and the US healthcare system is built in a way that makes rapid substitution for the drugs it supplies nigh on impossible.
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The most significant of its pharmaceutical exports is insulin. Reported trade figures suggest that around 74% of US insulin imports (by value) come from Denmark.
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For that reason, if Denmark were to use pharmaceutical supply as leverage, the GLP-1 route is a much more plausible option. Ozempic and Wegovy are not trivial medicines, but they are also not akin to insulin. The immediate health impact of a disruption in their supply would be lower. People would not be at medical risk, but the political impact could still be substantial, precisely because these drugs reach influential demographics and because shortages of them are already well known.
