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What is the story about?
The GLP-1 weight-loss market is set for another jump, with the US Food and Drug Administration approving a pill version of Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster drug Wegovy.
Unlike the current once-weekly injectable GLP-1 therapies, the new Wegovy pill is taken once daily and contains semaglutide, the same active ingredient used in injectable Wegovy and Ozempic.
The pill is expected to launch in January 2026.
Clinical trial data show average weight loss of around 17% higher than the injectable Wegovy, which typically delivers 14–15%, but still behind Eli Lilly’s injectable drug Mounjaro, which has shown 20–22% weight loss in late-stage studies and remains the most potent drug in the class so far.
Novo Nordisk is now first to market with an oral GLP-1, but competition is intensifying.
Eli Lilly is developing an oral GLP-1 pill that could launch as early as 2026, while Roche and AstraZeneca are also racing to enter the space, betting on the convenience of pills to drive adoption.
While Mounjaro has dominated prescriptions in 2025 due to superior efficacy, analysts say convenience could reshape patient choice, especially among those reluctant to use injections.
It's now a wait-and-watch if the Wegovy pill could unlock a new wave of demand from patients who have stayed away from injectables.
With the global obesity drug market projected to be worth as much as $50 billion by 2030, the race is not just efficacy but also ease of use and access adding to the next phase of growth.
Read more: Novo Nordisk brings Ozempic to India for type 2 diabetes, price aligned with Wegovy
Unlike the current once-weekly injectable GLP-1 therapies, the new Wegovy pill is taken once daily and contains semaglutide, the same active ingredient used in injectable Wegovy and Ozempic.
The pill is expected to launch in January 2026.
Clinical trial data show average weight loss of around 17% higher than the injectable Wegovy, which typically delivers 14–15%, but still behind Eli Lilly’s injectable drug Mounjaro, which has shown 20–22% weight loss in late-stage studies and remains the most potent drug in the class so far.
Novo Nordisk is now first to market with an oral GLP-1, but competition is intensifying.
Eli Lilly is developing an oral GLP-1 pill that could launch as early as 2026, while Roche and AstraZeneca are also racing to enter the space, betting on the convenience of pills to drive adoption.
While Mounjaro has dominated prescriptions in 2025 due to superior efficacy, analysts say convenience could reshape patient choice, especially among those reluctant to use injections.
It's now a wait-and-watch if the Wegovy pill could unlock a new wave of demand from patients who have stayed away from injectables.
With the global obesity drug market projected to be worth as much as $50 billion by 2030, the race is not just efficacy but also ease of use and access adding to the next phase of growth.
Read more: Novo Nordisk brings Ozempic to India for type 2 diabetes, price aligned with Wegovy
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