GLP-1
The filing comes as Novo fights tooth-and-nail with rival Lilly to regain its footing at the top of the weight loss market.
Participants in a Phase III trial who switched to Eli Lilly’s orforglipron after 72 weeks of treatment with Wegovy or Zepbound largely maintained their weight loss for up to a year.
Analysts were hoping for a safety profile similar to what was achieved in Phase II but an abnormal sense of touch, called dysesthesia, has emerged in the late-stage TRIUMPH-4 trial.
Pfizer apparently had more in the tank after the high-profile battle to acquire Metsera earlier this fall. The company has licensed a new GLP-1 from YaoPharma.
Structure’s aleniglipron elicited over 11% weight loss in a Phase II trial, sending the biotech’s stock up nearly 103% as markets closed on Monday.
While the TrumpRx deals only cover Lilly and Novo for now, the agreements are good for any cardiometabolic biotechs waiting in the wings, according to a new 2026 preview report from PitchBook.
Following Novo Nordisk’s price cuts for its own GLP-1 medicines, Eli Lilly is offering discounts for the obesity drug purchased through LillyDirect. Both pharmas recently struck a deal with the White House for cheaper prices via the yet-to-be-launched TrumpRx.
Novo Nordisk’s amycretin showed no weight-loss plateau over 36 weeks in patients with type 2 diabetes, suggesting its efficacy could become even stronger with longer follow-up, according to analysts at BMO Capital Markets.
Previous mega blockbusters took years to reach their peak sales. Lilly’s tirzepatide franchise is on course to exceed them just a few years in.
Analysts agree that the failure of Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide to reduce Alzheimer’s disease progression removes a “modest” or “perceived” overhang on Biogen and the anti-amyloid antibody class in general, clearing the way for increased uptake of Leqembi and Eli Lilly’s Kisunla.
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