The booming GLP-1 space was built on weekly injections. In 2026, new obesity pills will push the market into its next chapter.Patients are already getting their hands on the first GLP-1 pill for obesity from Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk — a once-daily drug that shares the same brand name as its popular injection Wegovy. A GLP-1 pill from the company’s chief rival Eli Lilly isn’t far behind, with a U.S. approval expected within months. For some people, pills may serve as a more convenient — and potentially cheaper — alternative to today’s blockbuster injections. The cash prices of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy pill range from $149 to $299 per month, depending on the dose, which is slightly less than the newly lowered cash prices of injections. While the pills aren’t expected to bring more weight loss than weekly shots, based on separate clinical trials, some health experts say expanding the range of treatments could still be a major win for patients.Pills could attract new patients to seek obesity treatment for the first time, expanding the broader weight loss and diabetes drug market and potentially boosting sales for Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly. The new users may include people who are afraid of needles, as well as patients who could benefit from existing injections but don’t view their condition as severe enough to warrant a weekly shot.”I think that there are a lot of people out there who have never tried these GLP-1 drugs and are maybe waiting for the pills to come out,” said Dr. Eduardo Grunvald, medical director of the UC San Diego Health Center for Advanced Weight Management. “It’s kind of a natural preference for some people and even some prescribers.” “Secondly, if you have to pay out of pocket, the pills are going to be a bit less expensive than the injections, so that’s another reason,” he said. The logo of pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk is displayed in front of its offices in Bagsvaerd, on the outskirts of Copenhagen, Denmark, Nov. 24, 2025. Tom Little | ReutersIt’s unclear exactly how many people are currently using GLP-1s in the U.S., especially for obesity. But around 1 in 8 adults said they were taking a GLP-1 drug to lose weight or treat another chronic condition as of November, according to a poll from health policy research organization KFF.Now, pills are emerging as the next battleground for Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, which established the GLP-1 space that some analysts say could be worth almost $100 billion by the 2030s. In August, Goldman Sachs analysts forecast that pills could capture roughly 24% — or about $22 billion — of the global weight-loss drug market by 2030.Here’s how obesity pills could reshape the space. Pills could expand the market Oral drugs may pull new patients into the obesity treatment market.”I believe that this will quite a bit expand the market,” Novo Nordisk CEO Mike Doustdar told CNBC in late December. “We know from our own family members and circles of friends that there are many people who still would not rather take an injection … for this group of people, having a pill option is …
