Novo Nordisk has secured approval in the United Kingdom for its oral weight-loss medication, a development that follows U.S. clearance and comes as drugmakers vie to introduce more convenient obesity treatments to a market under fast-moving commercial pressures.
The Danish company previously won U.S. authorization for its Wegovy pill in December. That U.S. clearance preceded rival Eli Lilly by a period described in the source material as over three months, with Lilly obtaining approval for its own oral weight-loss agent, orforglipron, in April.
Industry observers cited in the reporting note that the global market for weight-loss drugs is entering a new phase. Several factors are influencing the outlook: a pipeline crowded with oral candidates, the potential for generic entrants, and pressure on U.S. prices for leading treatments from the largest players. These dynamics have prompted Wall Street to reassess a previously cited projection of a $150 billion market within the next decade.
Who is competing and where their programs stand
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Novo Nordisk - The company became the first to bring a GLP-1 pill for obesity to market in the United States when the Food and Drug Administration cleared Wegovy in December. The European Medicines Agency issued a recommendation in May that clears the way for Wegovy to be the first oral obesity pill to reach European markets, and the UK approval extends regulatory acceptance in another major jurisdiction.
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Eli Lilly - Lilly's once-daily oral non-peptide GLP-1 agonist, branded as Foundayo and known by the compound name orforglipron, produced a 12.4% reduction in body weight over 72 weeks at the highest dose in a late-stage trial among overweight adults without diabetes. Additional trial data showed orforglipron helped maintain weight loss for patients who switched from Lilly's injectable Zepbound and from Novo Nordisk's Wegovy.
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Structure Therapeutics - The company's once-daily oral candidate, aleniglipron, delivered up to 16.3% weight loss, equivalent to about 39 pounds at the 180 mg dose after 44 weeks versus placebo in a mid-stage trial. Structure reported no signs of drug-induced liver injury in June and noted that patients continued to lose weight even on lower doses. The company plans to initiate a late-stage study in the second half of 2026, following an FDA meeting held in the second quarter.
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Merck - In a collaboration with Hansoh Pharma, Merck is preparing to test HS-10535, an oral small-molecule GLP-1 agonist, in early-stage human trials; at the time of reporting the compound remained in laboratory studies.
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AstraZeneca - AstraZeneca, together with Eccogene, is developing elecoglipron, a once-daily GLP-1 receptor agonist pill. Mid-stage trial data released in June showed a 10.5% body-weight reduction after 26 weeks, with continued weight loss observed over time. Patients receiving the highest dose lost 11.8% of body weight after the full 36-week duration of the trial.
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Roche - Following its acquisition of Carmot Therapeutics, Roche is developing CT-966, an oral GLP-1 agonist. In an early-stage trial last year among obese patients without diabetes, CT-966 produced a placebo-adjusted average weight loss of 6.1% within four weeks.
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Viking Therapeutics - Viking is working on an oral formulation of VK2735 that targets both GLP-1 and GIP hormones. In a mid-stage study the experimental pill delivered 12.2% weight loss, which fell short of Wall Street's higher-end expectation of about 15%.
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Pfizer - Pfizer entered the obesity therapeutics arena through a $10 billion acquisition of Metsera, gaining access to two oral, long-acting GLP-1 candidates that are being evaluated in preclinical studies. Separately, Pfizer and partner Sciwind Biosciences secured approval in China for a once-weekly injectable weight-loss product called Xianweiying, creating additional competition for approved injectables from Novo, Lilly and Innovent. Pfizer previously developed danuglipron as a twice-daily oral GLP-1 agonist but discontinued that program after mid-stage data showed poor tolerability.
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Innovent Biologics - Innovent is testing an oral GLP-1 candidate, IBI3032, in early-stage trials in both the United States and China.
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HuaDong Pharmaceutical - The company's oral obesity candidate HDM1002 produced up to 6.8% body-weight reduction in an early-stage study conducted in China among overweight or obese participants.
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Ascletis Pharma - Ascletis' experimental oral GLP-1 therapy, ASC30, produced weight loss of up to 7.7% in a mid-stage study conducted in the United States.
Market implications and context
The mix of regulatory approvals, late-stage efficacy data and corporate activity indicates a crowded and rapidly changing field for oral obesity treatments. The combination of promising trial outcomes for several candidates, early-stage signals, and commercial moves such as Pfizer's acquisition suggests heightened competition for market share among large pharmaceutical companies and smaller biotech firms alike. At the same time, concerns about pricing pressure in the United States and the potential entrance of generic competitors are reshaping market projections.
While the clinical efficacy numbers vary across programs - from high-teen percentage weight reductions in some mid-stage trials to more modest early-stage results in others - the variety of approaches and stages of development underline an industry-wide pivot toward oral GLP-1 and related modalities.
Summary of current facts
- Novo Nordisk has won UK approval for its oral Wegovy pill, adding to earlier U.S. clearance in December and an EMA recommendation in May.
- Eli Lilly received approval for orforglipron in April and reported a 12.4% weight reduction over 72 weeks at the highest dose in a late-stage trial.
- Multiple companies including Structure Therapeutics, AstraZeneca, Roche, Viking, Pfizer, Innovent, HuaDong and Ascletis are advancing oral candidates at various clinical stages with trial results ranging from roughly 6% to over 16% weight loss in reported studies.
- Market forecasts and pricing expectations are in flux as generics and pricing pressure in the United States present potential headwinds.