A GLP-1 pill is coming and it could change everything.
It’s no secret that weight loss drugs have become the hottest conversation in health, but it hasn’t come without its challenges. Drugs like Mounjaro and Ozempic are extremely expensive, costing upward of $1,000 for a month’s supply in some cases. While some more affordable options like Zepbound, starting at $349, have hit the market, there have also been shortages. Additionally, the injection-based drugs are not sustainable due to one-use disposable pens, are expensive to transport due to required refrigeration and cause some users trepidation who have a fear of needles. A pill format essentially sidesteps all of these challenges. Additionally, the market opportunity for a new format is huge, as experts say that 75 percent of Americans could qualify for weight loss drugs due to being overweight or obese.
Both Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are working on oral GLP-1 drugs that could hit the market next year. Eli Lilly’s version, orforglipron, is unique in that its not peptide-based like the current injections on the market. Instead, it uses a small molecule that is easier and more affordable to manufacture. Like the drugs currently on the market, orforglipron comes with side effects like nausea but also reports additional benefits like improved blood pressure, better cholesterol and reduced inflammatory markers.
Recent studies of orforglipron reported 12 percent weight loss versus the current injections which report around 25 percent weight loss. Sources say that investors were disappointed by the results.
“Five years ago, if you were to say ‘Here’s a pill, and it’s going to help you achieve, on average, 12 percent total body weight loss, and 40 percent of users will lose more than 15 percent,’ we would have been celebrating it,” said Dr. Alexandra Sowa, obesity expert, founder of GLP-1 support brand SoWell Health and author of “The Ozempic Revolution.” “We’ve gotten a little greedy from the headline perspective and from the investor perspective, because dual agonists [like Mounjaro] have set the standard that you can lose up to about 25 percent of your total body weight.”
That being said, Sowa emphasized that the pill version would be an ideal format for those who don’t need to lose as much weight, could be a better form of maintenance going forward and could be a cheaper option.
However, the pill comes with its own unique challenges. Sowa said that adherence could be an issue, as the pill needs to be taken daily versus the injections which are typically done weekly. Additionally, while the pill could be a lot cheaper, thanks to the ease of manufacturing, manufacturers may still increase the price.
“If they come out and make this a reasonably cost medication, it will transform how we’re using these medications,” said Sowa. “The access will be wide open.”
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