17 Nov 2025 A new wave of weight-loss meds

The Economist has highlighted GLP-1 meds as a key trend to watch in 2026 – here are its insights, and some scoping of the opportunities awaiting, and those already being leveraged, by the food industry….

Over the past decade, GLP‑1 agonists have transformed obesity care, with global spending hitting $54-billion in 2024.

These still-injectable only treatments — Wegovy, Ozempic, Mounjaro, Zepbound — are celebrated not only for slimming waistlines but also for reducing risks tied to heart, liver, and kidney disease. But their impact won’t stop at the pharmacy counter, with the food industry starting to take the opportunities on offer.

One change to watch is the arrival of weight-loss drugs in oral version in 2026 and which will make treatment more accessible.

Novo Nordisk plans to release a pill form of semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic, which showed an average 16.6% weight reduction after a year. Eli Lilly is preparing its own competitor, orforglipron, which achieved a 12.4% reduction.

While injections remain more potent — typically producing 16–23% weight loss — pills promise greater convenience. Still, experts caution that daily dosing may lead to skipped pills or inconsistent results outside clinical trials.

The injectable category isn’t standing still. Eli Lilly’s retatrutide, nicknamed the “Godzilla” of weight-loss drugs, targets three receptors at once. Early trials saw participants lose 24% of their body weight in under a year, though larger studies are still pending.

Novo Nordisk is advancing CagriSema, a blend of semaglutide and an amylin analogue, which produced a 23% reduction in late-stage trials, while. Amgen is testing MariTide, a monthly shot that could replace weekly dosing, with promising results of around 20% weight loss.

One concern with GLP‑1 drugs is the loss of lean muscle alongside fat. Lilly is exploring bimagrumab, an antibody therapy that boosts muscle mass. Combined with semaglutide, it delivered a 22% weight reduction over 72 weeks, with most of the loss coming from fat rather than muscle.

Market shifts and wider access

Competition among pharmaceutical giants will likely push prices down, especially for older or less effective versions. Public health systems may negotiate large-scale deals, expanding access.

The 2026 expiration of semaglutide’s patent in many countries (excluding the US and Europe) opens the door for generics in markets like Brazil, China, and India. Models suggest that widespread availability could save millions of lives annually.

Beyond weight loss

GLP‑1 therapies are proving to be more than slimming aids. Evidence shows they reduce cardiovascular events, improve sleep apnea, and protect organs such as the kidneys and liver.

Early findings even hint at benefits in curbing addictive behaviours, lowering cancer risks, and possibly reducing Alzheimer’s incidence. More data on these unexpected advantages is expected soon.

Beyond weight loss into food strategy

Food companies can’t ignore the shift: appetite suppression will alter demand for indulgent categories, while creating openings for “small‑format” treats, portion‑controlled snacks, and nutrient‑dense convenience foods.

Already, some companies are moving fast:

• Confectionery and snack makers are experimenting with mini‑formats and portion packs to stay relevant to consumers who eat less but still want indulgence.
• Functional food brands are positioning protein shakes, fortified yogurts, and satiety‑boosting bars as complements to GLP‑1 therapy.
• Retailers and QSR chains are piloting “GLP‑1 friendly” menus — smaller portions, higher protein, lower sugar — to capture shifting demand.
• Ingredient suppliers are investing in fibres, plant proteins, and bioactives that support satiety and muscle preservation.

For food companies, this shift signals a growing population of consumers who may eat less, snack differently, and seek products that align with their new health routines.

Source: The Economist

Update: 25 November 2025: Novo Nordisk found something Ozempic can’t do

The idea that semaglutide could help treat diabetes, obesity, potentially addiction, and the most common cause of dementia appears too good to be true: An Ozempic-like drug failed in a highly anticipated Alzheimer’s trial, Novo Nordisk announced yesterday.

• Trial participants who took a pill version of the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy showed some improvement in Alzheimer’s biomarkers, but it did nothing to delay the disease’s progression, according to Novo Nordisk.
• The trial was inspired by earlier research suggesting that people with Type 2 diabetes who took semaglutide had lower rates of dementia than groups who took other diabetes drugs or placebos.

Novo Nordisk previously referred to this trial as a long-shot “lottery ticket,” so investors weren’t counting on positive results. Still, it’s jarring for pharma bulls to see “semaglutide” and “fails” in the same sentence.

Shares of the Danish drugmaker hit a four-year low yesterday, but regained some ground once the disappointment settled.

This was one of Novo Nordisk’s last chances of 2025 to reinvigorate its stock, which has nearly halved this year, despite semaglutide’s popularity. The company ousted its eight-year CEO and installed a new one in August to turn its fortune around and claw back some of the market share it lost to Eli Lilly in recent years.

Like Skype vs. Zoom: Though Ozempic had a four-year head start over Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro and Zepbound, Eli Lilly recently overtook Novo Nordisk as the US leader in weight-loss medication. Meanwhile, Novo Nordisk lowered its profit guidance several times this year, saying copycat semaglutide was partially to blame.

A hole probably appeared in the drywall of Novo’s headquarters when Eli Lilly became the first pharmaceutical company to hit a $1-trillion market cap last week.

Another challenger emerges: Pfizer is also jockeying for space in weight-loss and outbid Novo Nordisk earlier this month for an obesity-drug startup called Metsera.

Source: MorningBrew.com

Update: 25 November 2025: Five things to know about the new obesity pills that are on the way

Millions of people use injectable drugs like Wegovy to reach a healthier weight. But the weekly injections aren’t for everybody — or every wallet.

That’s why experimental pills that could achieve similar results are drawing so much attention.

The medicines haven’t yet won approval from the Food and Drug Administration, but the first one could get the green light by the end of the year.

“The patient community in the obesity space has … gone without treatment for so long,” says Tracy Zvenyach, director of policy strategy and alliances at the nonprofit Obesity Action Coalition. “So new innovations, new treatments to treat this chronic disease — all are welcome. All are exciting.” The coalition receives financial support from multiple drugmakers, including Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly and Pfizer.

Here’s what you need to know — from how much the pills might cost to how they work.

1. Two new pills are (probably) coming

Novo Nordisk’s obesity pill is expected to be approved first. It has the same ingredient — semaglutide — that’s in Wegovy, Ozempic and also in Rybelsus, the company’s Type 2 diabetes pill that was approved in 2019.

The difference between this new pill and Rybelsus is the dose. There’s more semaglutide in the new pill.

Novo Nordisk’s main competitor is Eli Lilly, which makes Zepbound and Mounjaro. And it’s working on an obesity pill, too. But instead of using the same ingredient that is in its blockbuster injectables, tirzepatide, the company is working on a new one for its obesity pill that is called orforglipron.

2. Patients will take the pills daily, not weekly

The pills need to be taken every day, but the injectables are once a week.

For Novo Nordisk, it was a challenge making a semaglutide pill that wasn’t immediately broken down in the stomach before the medicine could be absorbed. So the scientists there added an ingredient that would protect the pill for 30 minutes while it is being absorbed. It’s a mouthful: sodium N-(8-[2-hydroxybenzoyl]amino) caprylate, or SNAC for short……

NPR.com: Read the full article here

Update: 28 November 2025: What we still don’t know about weight-loss drugs

Questions surround their effects on brain health, pregnancy or long-term use…..

Weight-loss drugs have been back in the news this week. First, we heard that Eli Lilly, the company behind the drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound, became the first healthcare company in the world to achieve a trillion-dollar valuation.

Those two drugs, which are prescribed for diabetes and obesity respectively, are generating billions of dollars in revenue for the company. Other GLP-1 agonist drugs—a class that includes Mounjaro and Zepbound, which have the same active ingredient—have also been approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in overweight people. Many hope that these apparent wonder drugs will also treat neurological disorders and potentially substance use disorders, too.

But this week we also learned that, disappointingly, GLP-1 drugs don’t seem to help people with Alzheimer’s disease. And that people who stop taking the drugs when they become pregnant can experience potentially dangerous levels of weight gain during their pregnancies. On top of that, some researchers worry that people are using the drugs postpartum to lose pregnancy weight without understanding potential risks.

All of this news should serve as a reminder that there’s a lot we still don’t know about these drugs. This week, let’s look at the enduring questions surrounding GLP-1 agonist drugs.

First a quick recap. Glucagon-like peptide-1 is a hormone made in the gut that helps regulate blood sugar levels. But we’ve learned that it also appears to have effects across the body. Receptors that GLP-1 can bind to have been found in multiple organs and throughout the brain, says Daniel Drucker, an endocrinologist at the University of Toronto who has been studying the hormone for decades.

GLP-1 agonist drugs essentially mimic the hormone’s action. Quite a few have been developed, including semaglutide, tirzepatide, liraglutide, and exenatide, which have brand names like Ozempic, Saxenda and Wegovy. Some of them are recommended for some people with diabetes.

But because these drugs also seem to suppress appetite, they have become hugely popular weight loss aids. And studies have found that many people who take them for diabetes or weight loss experience surprising side effects; that their mental health improves, for example, or that they feel less inclined to smoke or consume alcohol. Research has also found that the drugs seem to increase the growth of brain cells in lab animals.

So far, so promising. But there are a few outstanding gray areas…..

MIT Technology Review: Read the full article here