There are over 100 drugs in the obesity pipeline, with two pending Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals this year. Novo's oral semaglutide, which is already approved for diabetes as Rybelsus, is expected to be approved for obesity in November. The drug may have some limits on how much you can take (like Rybelsus). You must take it first thing in the morning, without eating or drinking anything, and then wait 30 minutes before eating or drinking anything else or taking other medications.
Lilly’s oral orforglipron product may also receive approval by the end of 2025, and both are expected to launch in early 2026. Orforglipron is a non-peptide GLP-1 agonist, but won’t require refrigeration. Orforglipron isn't expected to have the same dosing restrictions as oral semaglutide, but gastrointestinal side effects are the most common for both drugs. IPD Analytics says the new oral products may cost the same as the existing injectable drugs, but that's not clear yet.
Pharmaceutical companies are now focusing on next-generation treatments that combine GLP-1 with other hormones (like GIP and glucagon) to improve outcomes, personalize care and address related health conditions such as diabetes, liver disease and heart disease. New drugs in development aim to increase fat loss while maintaining muscle, and some use artificial intelligence to accelerate innovation.
Emerging biotech partnerships and novel therapies, like multi-hormone drugs and metabolic gene silencers, are expected to shape the next wave of obesity care. Some advancements might be available within the next few years.
