Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly dominate the $150bn weight-loss drug market

In the burgeoning weight-loss drug market, Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Zepbound lead the charge, with estimates pegging the sector at $150 billion by the early 2030s. Novo Nordisk's amycretin promises a substantial 13.1% weight loss, while Eli Lilly's Zepbound gained rapid approval and significant early sales. Other contenders like Pfizer, Roche, and Amgen are also advancing with innovative candidates, fueling competition in this dynamic and lucrative field..Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here..Join us for BizNews' first investment-focused conference on Thursday, 12 September, in Hermanus, featuring top experts like Frans Cronje, Piet Viljoen, and more. Get insights on electricity and exploiting SA's gas bounty from new and familiar faces. Register here..SOURCE: REUTERS.Novo Nordisk's NOVOb.CO Wegovy and Eli Lilly's LLY.N Zepbound are so far the leaders in the weight-loss drug market, which is estimated to be worth about $150 billion by the early 2030s. .___STEADY_PAYWALL___.But there are several other drug developers aiming to join the bandwagon. The following is a list of publicly listed companies targeting the next big blockbuster opportunity:.NOVO NORDISK.Novo's latest candidate, amycretin, helped obese patients achieve 13.1% weight loss after 12 weeks of treatment. The data compares to a weight loss of about 6% after 12 weeks in a trial for Wegovy..Novo said it plans to begin a mid-stage study for amycretin in the second half of the year with results due in early 2026..Novo Nordisk in August reported data from a large study, which showed Wegovy also had a clear cardiovascular benefit. Wegovy, which uses the same active ingredient as Novo's diabetes drug Ozempic, was approved in 2021..The drugmaker in June reported late-stage trial data from a high-dose oral version of its drug, semaglutide, helping overweight or obese adults lose 15% of their body weight, which was in line with recent results for other experimental obesity pills..The company said in February it will buy three of Catalent's fill-finish sites – in Anagni, Italy; Brussels, Belgium; and Bloomington, Indiana – from Novo Holdings for $11 billion to help boost its production of Wegovy. The sites will be acquired after Novo Holdings completes its Catalent acquisition..Read more: 🔒 Preserving muscle, losing fat is new target for weight-loss drugmakers.ELI LILLY.Eli Lilly's weight-loss therapy, Zepbound, got the green light from U.S. and UK regulators in November, paving the way for a powerful new rival to Novo's Wegovy..The company reported $175.8 million in sales of Zepbound in the first few weeks of its launch in December. The drug, chemically known as tirzepatide, has been available as Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes since 2022 and was used "off-label" for weight loss..Lilly said in June a mid-stage trial of its next-generation obesity drug candidate, a once-weekly injection of retatrutide, led to a weight loss of up to 24.2% after 48 weeks..PFIZER.Pfizer PFE.Nsaid in December it was stopping further trials of a twice-daily version of its oral weight-loss drug, danuglipron..The decision comes after most patients in a mid-stage trial dropped out with high rates of side effects such as nausea and vomiting..In July, Pfizer said it planned to enter clinical trials later this year for a reworked, once-a-day version of its weight-loss pill, danuglipron..ROCHE AND CARMOT THERAPEUTICS.Roche ROG.S acquired CT-388 as part of its $2.7 billion buyout of Carmot Therapeutics. Carmot's once-a-week injection belongs to the same class as Eli Lilly's LLY.N Mounjaro, or Zepbound..In July, the company announced that a second drug candidate from its purchase of Carmot yielded positive results in an early-stage trial..Roche said its experimental pill, which could appeal to patients averse to injections, was well tolerated with mostly mild or moderate gastrointestinal side effects similar to those seen in other weight-loss drugs..AMGEN.Amgen's AMGN.O experimental obesity drug, AMG133, in November showed a mean weight loss of 14.5% after 12 weeks of treatment at the highest monthly dose..ALTIMMUNE.Altimmune ALT.O in November said its drug candidate, pemvidutide, helped reduce weight by 15.6% on average and showed continued weight loss at the end of treatment in a mid-stage trial..However, patients also experienced nausea and vomiting of mild and moderate severity..VIKING THERAPEUTICS.Viking Therapeutics VKTX.O said in February its experimental drug, VK2735, helped patients with obesity achieve "significant" weight loss in a mid-stage study..VK2735 helped patients achieve up to 14.7% mean weight loss after 13 weeks of treatment, according to data from the study, which had enrolled 176 overweight adults with at least one weight-related comorbidity..ZEALAND PHARMA.Denmark's Zealand Pharma ZELA.CO and Boehringer Ingelheim's experimental obesity treatment achieved up to 14.9% weight loss in a mid-stage trial in May..OPKO HEALTHOpko Health OPK.O has completed a mid-stage trial of its obesity drug, pegapamodutide, which it expects will have fewer side effects..STRUCTURE THERAPEUTICS.Structure Therapeutics GPCR.Osaid its experimental oral obesity drug helped reduce weight by 6.2% on average at the end of 12 weeks in a mid-stage study..Read also:.🔒 A year of obesity drug hype: What was missed – Lisa Jarvis🔒 Premium – Bobby Ghosh: Booze business is now being threatened by slimming pill boomObesity drug's lingering costs as patients struggle to stop – Weight rebound threatens health and finances.SOURCE: REUTERS

Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly dominate the $150bn weight-loss drug market

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