LONDON/COPENHAGEN, June 20 (Reuters) - Novo Nordisk's launch of obesity drug Wegovy in most of Europe will be slower than planned and the drug will likely not be sold in developing nations for a very long time, executives said on Tuesday, as demand booms in the United States.

"Short term we are challenged because we cannot fully meet demand. But everyone can rest assured that we are strongly committed to make sure that patients over time will get the medicine they expect," said Chief Executive Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen.

Wegovy, which launched in the U.S. in mid-2021, has propelled the company to record sales and its current position as the third biggest pharma company globally by market capitalisation, according to Refinitiv data. (Reporting by Maggie Fick in London and Nikolaj Skydsgaard in Copenhagen)