Despite the great promise to quickly lose weight thanks to a minimum puncture, many people still reject the idea of injecting medications such as Ozempic or Wegovy. In response, the big pharmaceuticals refine their strategies with pill versions based on the GLP-1 receiver. However, the first figures raise an awkward question: What will be willing to sacrifice patients in exchange for not pricking?
In the test phase. The Eli Lillly company has presented the results of its clinical trial with Orforglipron, a daily pill designed to induce weight loss. According to data published by The Washington Post, the participants who took the highest dose reduced an average of 12.4 % their body weight after 72 weeks, which is equivalent to about 12 kilos, compared to less than 1 % in the placebo group.
It is a clinically significant result, but lower than that reached with its strut -in -lawy -led drugs – commercialized as Mounjaro or Zepbound -, with which in a previous trial a 22.5 % weight loss was achieved in the same period. The company said it will request the regulatory approval before the end of the year and trusts that the comfort of the pill compensates its lower power.
Pfizer was the first. The race for the GLP-1 pills is not exclusive to Lilly and Novo. As we collected in WorldOfSoftware, the American pharmacist Pfizer has announced advances in the development of Danuglipron, an agonist of the LPG-1 receiver who, unlike Ozempic, Wegovy or Zepbound, would be administered only orally.
The drug is in a new phase of clinical trials to evaluate its safety and pharmacokinetics, with the aim of adjusting it as a daily taking treatment. According to the company, the tests have already included 1,400 healthy adults in an open and random essay. Preliminary data promoted Pfizer’s actions 2 % in the stock market, but analysts cited by WorldOfSoftware, such as Uumer Raffat for Fortune, warn that the advances seem “tentative” and that, in the best case, the medicine would reach the market in 2028.
There are more bets. The Ozempic and Wegovy manufacturer also does not want to stay out of the transition to the pills. As we have reported in WorldOfSoftware, Novo Nordisk awaits an FDA decision about its oral version of Semaglutida before the end of 2025. In parallel, its candidate Cagrisema – a combination of semaglutida and cagrilintida – achieved in clinical trials an average weight reduction of 22.7 %, slightly below 25 % that the company had announced as an initial objective. A fact that, although raised, shows that even in the new generation of oral treatments, the power can remain below expectations.
Comfort against efficacy. GLP-1 medications have shown unprecedented results in the fight against obesity, but the route of administration marks differences. As detailed in Washington Post, the weekly tirzepatid or semaglutidic injection allows more stable levels of the blood molecule and, with it, greater weight reductions. On the other hand, the oral route requires formulas that resist digestion and are effectively absorbed, which raises technical limitations. In the case of Orforglipron, the consequence is a weight loss lower than that of its injectable equivalents.
The big question is whether patients and doctors will be willing to prioritize comfort over effectiveness. For many, a 12 % reduction in body weight remains clinically relevant and can mean substantial improvements in cardiovascular and metabolic health. But in a market in which each percentage point counts, the comparison with 20-22 % of the injections could condition their adoption.
A millionaire market with access barriers. The interest in these therapies is not accidental. According to estimates collected by this means, the global market of obesity medications could exceed 100,000 million dollars annually in 2030. In addition to weight loss, LPG-1 improve glycemic control and reduce cardiovascular risk, which expands its clinical attraction. However, the Price remains an obstacle. According to data cited in this medium, Ozempic costs around $ 600 per month in the United States, compared to 59 euros in Germany. So the debate for future oral versions is open.
A future with more options and more questions. With Lilly, Pfizer and Novo Nordisk preparing their releases, GLP-1 pills could expand the scope of obesity treatments, especially among those who reject injections. But the transition will not be automatic. In a market where efficacy has been the main sales argument, the arrival of more comfortable but potentially less powerful options will force to rethink strategies, prices and expectations. And although the interest is evident, the question remains the same: how much is it worth, for doctors and patients, the simple fact of not having to use a needle?
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WorldOfSoftware | If you want a “miracle” medication to lose weight, you no longer resort to Ozempic: the competition is starting to overcome it
