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Drugmakers are preparing to launch about 13 new weight loss treatments in the United States over the next five years amid growing demand for the products, according to a new report from Global Data.
As of 2024, the number of anti-obesity drugs Launches are expected to increase significantly, reaching a peak of four launches per year in 2027 and 2028. By comparison, only three products were launched between 2019 and 2023, the research firm said.
Fueling demand is the skyrocketing rate of obesity in the United States, with the World Health Organization predicting that about 50% of U.S. adults will be considered obese by 2030, up from 42% in 2020 and just 31% in 1999. Meanwhile, sales of weight loss drugs have also soared, with Novo Nordisk’s (NVO) Wegovy and Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) According to the report, Zepbound will generate $9.7 billion in global sales in 2023.
GlobalData said weight-loss drug giant Novo Nordisk is expected to launch six products over the next five years, led by CagriSema, a combination of Wegovy’s active ingredient semaglutide and cagrilintide. Currently undergoing Phase 3 testing, CagriSema is expected to hit the market by the end of 2025 and generate sales of $7.4 billion by 2029.
According to Novo Nordisk’s website, a second anti-obesity drug, INV-202, is in Phase 2 trials, with newer formulations of semaglutide in mid-to-late development. Novo Nordisk is also developing a peripheral focused ultrasound therapy with GE Healthcare (GEHC) for obesity, which is also in Phase 2 trials.
Novo Nordisk’s main competitor in the weight-loss game, Eli Lilly, also has big plans. According to its website, Lilly has two anti-obesity drugs in Phase 3 trials, namely forglipron and retatrutide.
Lilly also collaborated with Chinese drug developer Innovent Biologics on an anti-obesity drug called mazdutide. Innovent’s market application for mazdutide was accepted for review by Chinese regulators in February.
Also close to commercialization are efpeglenatide, developed by the South Korean pharmaceutical company Hanmi Pharmaceutical, and survodutide by Boehringer Ingelheim.
Other drug candidates in mid-stage development for obesity include VK2735 from Viking Therapeutics (VKTX), GSBR-1290 from Structure Therapeutics (GPCR), and pemvidutide from Altimmune (ALT), danuglipron from Pfizer (PFE), and AMG133 from Amgen (AMGN ), also known as MariTide.
Meanwhile, Roche has two early-stage candidates in the hopper, CT-996 and CT-388, through its acquisition of Carmot Therapeutics.
While the weight-loss drug market is likely to become more crowded in the coming years, GlobalData believes there should be enough demand to support multiple players.
“Recent successful launches have demonstrated the viability of anti-obesity drugs,” GlobalData pharmaceutical analyst Jasper Morley said in the report. “Considering the increasing patient population, it is very likely that a number of companies producing these new drugs will get large returns for their efforts.”