Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk Preparing To Introduce Obesity Pills Next Year In The US: Report

Eli Lilly (LLY) and Novo Nordisk (NVO) are reportedly expected to launch oral obesity pills by next year once they get regulatory approval in the U.S.

According to a CNBC report, which cited an interview with Lilly’s Chief Scientific Officer, Dan Skovronsky, the company anticipates receiving results in the next few months from a head-to-head trial between its oral drug, Orforglipron, and Novo Nordisk’s oral Semaglutide. Daily pills would likely bring GLP-1s to more people, the report stated. 

The report noted that the primary aim of the study is to assess the effectiveness of the pills in lowering blood sugar levels in individuals with Type 2 diabetes, while also monitoring their impact on weight loss.

“We wouldn’t have undertaken this head-to-head phase three randomized control trial unless we had a lot of confidence that orforglipron would fare well in comparison to oral semaglutide,” Skovronsky told CNBC.

Retail sentiment on Eli Lilly remained unchanged in the ‘neutral’ territory, with message volumes at ‘low’ levels, according to Stocktwits data.

The report said that Skovronsky noted the results across trials, which did not directly compare the two drugs, should not be made, given Novo’s pill appears more effective with fewer discontinuations. Meanwhile, Novo’s Chief Scientific Officer, Martin Holst Lange, told CNBC in another interview that the data speaks for itself.

Retail sentiment on Novo remained in the ‘bearish’ territory, with chatter at ‘low’ levels, according to data from Stocktwits.

The report explained that Novo’s upcoming obesity pill is a tablet form of its weekly injection, Wegovy. In contrast, Lilly’s pill, Orforglipron, is a completely new drug and different from its injectable treatment, Zepbound. According to Skovronsky, Zepbound remains the benchmark for effectiveness, helping patients lose over 20% of their body weight.

The CNBC report noted that neither Novo’s pill nor Lilly’s oral drug is as effective as Zepbound. It added that Orforglipron has achieved around 12% weight loss at its highest dose, while oral Semaglutide has reached about 17%, prompting uncertainty over how many patients will choose a pill if it delivers less weight loss than injectable options.

Skovronsky told CNBC that pills could eventually become the primary way that obesity would be treated, and that oral drugs could have a larger market share than shots.

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