Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk file competing new weight-loss drugs with the FDA that could be game changers in obesity medicine

By Jaimy Lee

Here's how the next generation of obesity drugs getting closer to patients differs from Wegovy and Zepbound

Novo Nordisk (whose injectable weight-loss medication Wegovy is shown here) and rival Eli Lilly are both developing a new generation of obesity drugs.

Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk - the dominant players in obesity drug development - each submitted a new weight-loss drug to the FDA for approval on Thursday.

Eli Lilly's (LLY) drug is called orforglipron. It is a pill that's taken daily and has shown 12.4% average weight loss. The drugmaker also shared new data that demonstrate orforglipron helped patients maintain their weight loss for a year compared to placebo, and after switching from Zepbound, its weight-loss injection, or Wegovy, Novo's competing weight-loss injection.

"Orforglipron could provide a convenient alternative for the millions of individuals living with obesity around the globe to continue their long-term health journey," Kenneth Custer, president of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health, said in a news release.

Novo Nordisk's (DK:NOVO.B) next-gen medication is called CagriSema. It's a once-weekly shot that combines a long-acting amylin analogue and Wegovy. Clinical trials found that patients taking CagriSema lose an average of 20.4% of their weight after 68 weeks, compared to 3.0% on placebo.

Both submissions signal a shift in obesity medicine.

Both submissions signal a shift in obesity medicine, with experimental therapies being tested in clinical trials to see if they can improve Zepbound and Wegovy, or address the gaps left by those drugs. This could include the easier option of taking a pill, fewer gastrointestinal side effects, or drugs that address the loss of lean muscle mass.

CagriSema would be the first combo GLP-1 if it's approved, while orforglipron would be the first GLP-1 pill approved for weight loss. Oral GLP-1s like Lilly's Trulicity and Novo's Rybelsus have been on the market for about 10 years, though they are only approved to treat people with Type 2 diabetes.

Though Novo was the first to bring a GLP-1 for obesity to market, Lilly is viewed as the market leader, both in sales performance and strategic dealmaking for its products. Its stock is up about 34% for the year, while Novo's shares have tumbled 45%.

As part of a deal with the Trump administration, the FDA granted orforglipron a National Priority Voucher, a new regulatory pathway that speeds up how quickly the agency will make a decision whether to approve the drug. It's set to happen sometime in the first quarter.

-Jaimy Lee

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12-18-25 1153ET