Key facts
- The weight-loss drug market is projected to reach $100 billion annually.
- Novo Nordisk's Wegovy pill received U.S. FDA approval in December and EMA recommendation in May.
- Eli Lilly's orforglipron received U.S. approval in April.
- Kailera Therapeutics' drug showed up to 10.9% body weight loss in a China trial.
- Structure Therapeutics' aleniglipron showed up to 16.3% weight loss in a mid-stage trial.
- AstraZeneca's elecoglipron showed 10.5% weight loss after 26 weeks in a mid-stage trial.
The race to develop and launch effective weight-loss drugs is intensifying, with numerous pharmaceutical companies vying for a share of a market projected to reach $100 billion annually. Kailera Therapeutics recently reported that its oral obesity drug helped patients lose up to 10.9% of their body weight in a late-stage trial in China. This development occurs as the global market enters a new phase, with generic rivals potentially emerging and prices for blockbuster treatments from Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk facing downward pressure.
Novo Nordisk leads the market with its GLP-1 pill, Wegovy, which received U.S. FDA approval in December and a recommendation from the European Medicines Agency in May. Eli Lilly followed with its own weight-loss pill, orforglipron, approved in April. Structure Therapeutics' once-daily pill, aleniglipron, demonstrated significant weight loss in a mid-stage trial, with patients losing up to 16.3% of their body weight. Merck is preparing to test an oral GLP-1 agonist, HS-10535, in early-stage trials. AstraZeneca and Eccogene are advancing elecoglipron, showing 10.5% weight loss in a mid-stage study. Roche is developing CT-966, an oral GLP-1 agonist, following its acquisition of Carmot Therapeutics. Kailera Therapeutics is also working on an oral version of its candidate, ribupatide, which showed 12.1% weight loss in a Chinese study. Viking Therapeutics is advancing VK2735, targeting GLP-1 and GIP hormones, which resulted in 12.2% weight loss in a mid-stage study. Pfizer bolstered its position by acquiring Metsera for access to two oral GLP-1 drugs and secured approval for Xianweiying in China. Other companies like Innovent Biologics, HuaDong Pharmaceutical, and Ascletis Pharma are also testing oral GLP-1 candidates in various stages of development.