Eli Lilly and Co. (NYSE:LLY) and Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) are expected to launch new obesity-treatment pills in the U.S. next year at prices comparable to their existing injectable drugs, signaling a break from the industry trend of charging more for new therapies.
Novo Nordisk is leading the charge with Rybelsus, the only authorized oral GLP-1 drug.
The move comes amid mounting political and public pressure to make weight-loss drugs more affordable.
Neither company has announced pricing for its daily oral medications, with U.S. regulatory approvals still pending, Reuters reported. Novo Nordisk anticipates approval later this year, while Lilly aims for an August 2026 launch.
Recently, Eli Lilly released data from an oral drug, orforglipron. However, investors seemed disappointed as the pill showed an average weight loss of around 12% below the estimated 15%.
Earlier today, Viking Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) released data from its Phase 2 trial of VK2735 pill, which failed to excite the investors.
Analysts expect list prices to mirror their weekly injections — Wegovy from Novo and Zepbound from Lilly — which cost around $1,000 per month but are offered at $499 for patients paying out of pocket.
Supply Factor
Supply will be key to pricing. Shortages of injectable GLP-1s in 2023–24 fueled demand for cheaper compounded versions.
Citing some analysts, Reuters report note demand for oral drugs could be even higher since they require far more active ingredient — Novo's pill, for instance, uses about 75x more per week than a high-dose Wegovy injection. Novo has invested billions to scale semaglutide output and expects no launch constraints, while Lilly has already stockpiled $808.5 million of orforglipron ahead of its debut.
Other Companies Developing Weight-Loss Pills
In July, Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:RYTM) released topline results from its Phase 2 trial evaluating bivamelagon (formerly LB54640), an investigational oral melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) agonist, in patients with acquired hypothalamic obesity.
Patients in the 600mg cohort (n=8) experienced a 9.3% reduction (p-value=0.0004), while those in the 400mg cohort (n=7) saw a 7.7% reduction (p-value=0.0002).
In April, Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) discontinued the development of danuglipron (PF-06882961), an oral glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist being investigated for chronic weight management, citing liver toxicity.
Roche Holdings AG (OTC:RHHBY) is developing CT-966. Last year, the company shared early data showing a mean weight loss of -6.1% within four weeks.
Last year, Structure Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:GPCR) unveiled 12-week topline obesity data from its Phase 2a study of aleniglipron (GSBR-1290).
In the Phase 2a obesity study, GSBR-1290 demonstrated a clinically meaningful and statistically significant placebo-adjusted mean decrease in weight of 6.2% at 12 weeks.
36-week data from Phase 2b ACCESS and Phase 2 ACCESS II studies are expected in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Merck & Co Inc (NYSE:MRK), in partnership with Hansoh Pharma, is developing HS-10535, an investigational preclinical oral small molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist.
In November 2024, AstraZeneca Plc (NASDAQ:AZN) and Eccogene announced early data from ECC5004, an oral drug candidate for weight loss.
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