Beyond the Weekly Shot: The Next Frontier in Obesity Treatment

While Eli Lilly currently commands attention with its triple-acting retatrutide—which produced record-breaking weight loss in recent trials—the industry is pivoting toward convenience. Novo Nordisk reported that its oral GLP-1 options have already reached 3 million prescriptions just five months post-launch, signaling high demand for pill-based alternatives to weekly injections.

New entrants are mapping out timelines for the next five years. Structure Therapeutics and AstraZeneca are currently advancing mid-stage trials for their own oral GLP-1s, with market entry potentially arriving by 2029. Structure Therapeutics CEO Ray Stevens argues that the market remains vast enough to accommodate multiple small-molecule players, positioning his firm to capture the slot immediately following Lilly’s orforglipron, now branded as Foundayo.

Simultaneously, the focus is shifting toward reducing dosing frequency. Pfizer, bolstered by its $10 billion acquisition of Metsera, presented data on a monthly injectable, while Amgen is exploring treatments that could be administered as infrequently as four times per year. Susan Sweeney, Amgen’s executive vice president, emphasized that moving away from weekly requirements allows patients to manage their health without the persistent reminder of their condition.