Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are likely to price their upcoming weight-loss pills on par with existing injections such as Wegovy and Zepbound, analysts say, breaking with the industry’s usual habit of charging more for new medicines.
The two companies compete to introduce daily oral medications which work on the GLP-1 hormone that their injectable products target. The Novo pill approval process will complete this year while Lilly plans to begin its market launch in August 2026.
U.S. list prices for Wegovy and Zepbound stand at roughly $1,000 per month, though both firms sell directly to cash-paying patients at $499.Analysts expect the pills to be priced near those levels, given they aren’t more effective than injections.
Lilly’s orforglipron cut body weight by 12.4% in trials, compared with up to 21% for its injections.Novo’s oral version reduced weight by about 15%. “Pricing is probably going to come on par with the current drugs today or slightly lower,” UBS analyst Trung Huynh said.
Manufacturing capacity will also shape pricing.The pills contain higher active ingredient concentrations than injections which leads to supply chain problems. The worldwide obesity market will reach $150 billion by 2030 and experts forecast oral GLP-1s will reach market penetration in the mid-teens segment.
