Novo Nordisk follows Christmas oral Wegovy approval with quick launch; Eli Lilly is headed for $94.3 billion in annual revenue by 2027, analysts predict; nine more pharmas strike Most Favored Nation deals but half remain unsigned; experts call for stability and rare disease action at FDA, and all eyes are on M&A ahead of the J.P. Morgan Healthcare conference next week.
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Obesity titans Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly characteristically kicked off 2026 in the headlines. After capping 2025 with the first-ever FDA approval of an oral GLP-1 for obesity, Novo launched its Wegovy pill on Monday, starting at $149 per month out of pocket for the lower doses. Meanwhile, all eyes are on Lilly, which expects a greenlight for orforglipron as early as March. The oral weight loss play is set to be a key aspect of a pivotal year for Lilly, which hopes to more than double its annual revenue in just a few years.
Also pulling a rabbit out of a hat just before Christmas were nine drugmakers—including Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim—which signed Most Favored Nation drug pricing agreements with the Trump administration, likely securing their businesses against the threat of tariffs. However, drug pricing will continue to be top of mind in 2026, experts told BioSpace, as only about half of Big Pharmas have signed a deal, and small and mid-sized companies haven’t yet begun.
Another area biopharma leaders are watching with bated breath is the FDA. The overwhelming consensus from experts who spoke with BioSpace is that last year was a disaster—particularly from a workforce standpoint. Still, the agency approved 56 novel drugs, down just a tick from 2024’s 59. Advisory committees fell off considerably, in both number and concordance, however, according to a report by Jefferies, as these meetings came under scrutiny by FDA leadership. In 2026, will the unprecedented leadership turnover—especially at CDER—settle down? Will the new rare disease and cell and gene therapy policies bear first fruits? Also on the regulatory front, the CDC has already been busy this year, axing several childhood vaccines from its recommended schedule with potential implications for biopharma companies including Pfizer and Merck.
And if there’s one area biopharma watchers anticipate even more than regulatory action, it’s M&A action. Last month, analysts shared their top targets with BioSpace, listing names like Summit Therapeutics, Apogee Therapeutics and Axsome Therapeutics. Here at BioSpace, we’ll stick with Viking.
Finally, don’t forget to check out our NextGen Class of 2026—featuring 15 biotech startups whose mission and platforms cut through a challenging environment. And make sure to join us next week when senior editor Annalee Armstrong and news editor Dan Samorodnitsky will provide dispatches from the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference.
