<p>March 6 (Reuters) - The global weight-loss drug market is entering a new phase, driven by the arrival of oral options, looming generic rivals and falling U.S. prices for blockbuster treatments from Eli Lilly  (LLY.N)  and Novo Nordisk  (NOVOb.CO) .</p>
<p>The fast-changing landscape has prompted Wall Street to rethink long-held forecasts of a $150 billion market within the next decade.</p>
<p>Novo became the first company to launch a GLP-1 pill for obesity, giving the Danish drugmaker a competitive edge in the fast-evolving obesity treatment market.</p>
<p>Here are some companies racing to develop oral obesity drugs in the hopes of making their mark in a lucrative market:</p>
<h3>ELI LILLY</h3>
<p>Orforglipron, the company’s once-daily oral non-peptide GLP-1 agonist, helped overweight adults without diabetes lose 12.4% of their body weight over 72 weeks at the highest dose in a late-stage trial.</p>
<p>In another study, orforglipron helped maintain weight loss in patients switching from its GLP-1 injection, Zepbound, and rival Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy.</p>
<p>The company is preparing to launch orforglipron in the U.S. as early as the second quarter of ​this year, pending approval from the ⁠Food and Drug Administration.</p>
<h3>STRUCTURE THERAPEUTICS  (GPCR.O)</h3>
<p>Structure Therapeutics is developing GSBR-1290, a non-peptide oral GLP-1 agonist. The pill showed weight loss of up to 11.3% after 36 weeks of treatment in a mid-stage study of 230 people.</p>
<p>Structure plans to start late-stage development of the pill by mid-2026 after a meeting with the FDA in the first half of next year.</p>
<h3>MERCK  (MRK.N)</h3>
<p>The company, in partnership with Hansoh Pharma  (3692.HK) , is preparing to test HS-10535, an oral small-molecule GLP-1 agonist, in early stage trials. The drug is currently undergoing lab studies.</p>
<h3>ASTRAZENECA  (AZN.L)</h3>
<p>AstraZeneca and Eccogene are advancing ECC5004, a once-daily GLP-1 receptor agonist pill. Early-stage trial showed a promising weight-loss signal and a favorable safety profile, with mid-stage trials planned under AstraZeneca’s lead.</p>
<h3>ROCHE  (ROG.S)</h3>
<p>Roche, following its acquisition of Carmot Therapeutics, is working on CT-966, an oral GLP-1 agonist. CT-966 resulted in a placebo-adjusted average weight loss of 6.1% within four weeks in obese patients without diabetes in an early-stage trial last year.</p>
<h3>VIKING THERAPEUTICS  (VKTX.O)</h3>
<p>The company is developing an oral formulation of VK2735, which targets both GLP-1 and GIP hormones that regulate the body’s metabolism.</p>
<p>In a mid-stage study, the experimental weight-loss pill helped patients lose 12.2% of their body weight, missing Wall Street’s top-end expectations of 15%.</p>
<h3>PFIZER  (PFE.N)</h3>
<p>Pfizer entered the lucrative obesity drug market with its $10 billion acquisition of obesity drug developer Metsera after a fierce bidding war with Novo.</p>
<p>The drugmaker gained access to two oral, long-acting GLP-1 drugs as part of the deal, which are currently being tested in preclinical trials.</p>
<p>Pfizer and Chinese partner Sciwind Biosciences secured approval for their once-weekly weight-loss injection, Xianweiying, in China, adding pressure on approved rivals from Novo, Lilly and Innovent Biologics  (1801.HK) .</p>
<p>Pfizer was developing danuglipron, initially as a twice-daily oral GLP-1 agonist, but scrapped development after data from a mid-stage trial showed poor tolerability.</p>
<p>Innovent Biologics  (1801.HK)</p>
<p>China-based Innovent Biologics’ oral GLP-1 weight-loss drug, IBI3032, is being tested in early-stage trials in the U.S. and China.</p>
<p>HuaDong Pharmaceutical</p>
<p>China-based HuaDong Pharmaceutical’s oral obesity drug candidate, HDM1002, reduced body weight by up to 6.8% in an early-stage study of overweight or obese participants in China.</p>
<p>Ascletis Pharma  (1672.HK)</p>
<p>China-based Ascletis Pharma’s experimental oral GLP-1 drug, ASC30, showed weight-loss of up to 7.7% in a mid-stage study in the U.S.</p>

SBIO

<p>The global weight-loss drug market is evolving with new oral options and competitive pricing. Novo Nordisk has launched the first GLP-1 pill for obesity, prompting other companies like Eli Lilly, Structure Therapeutics, Merck, AstraZeneca, Roche, Viking Therapeutics, and Pfizer to develop their own oral obesity drugs. Eli Lilly's orforglipron shows significant weight loss in trials, while Pfizer has entered the market through acquisition. Other companies, including Innovent Biologics and HuaDong Pharmaceutical, are also testing their oral GLP-1 candidates. The market is projected to be worth $150 billion in the next decade.</p>

- The global weight-loss drug market is evolving with the introduction of oral options and falling prices, prompting Wall Street to revise its $150 billion forecast.  
- Key players, including Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, are now facing competition from several companies developing their own oral GLP-1 agonists for obesity treatment.  
- Among these, Eli Lilly's orforglipron, Structure Therapeutics' GSBR-1290, and Pfizer's acquisition of Metsera are noteworthy developments in this competitive landscape.

FACTBOX-Top pharma companies racing to launch a weight-loss pill