Competition to develop obesity treatments among global pharmaceutical and biotech corporations is intensifying.
From the 12th (local time) to the 15th in Istanbul, Türkiye, at the European Congress on Obesity 2026, global corporations unveiled a large set of data on next-generation obesity drugs.
Analysts say the obesity drug market, after injectables, is shifting toward high-dose, oral (pill) options and expanding from simple weight loss to maintenance benefits, minimal muscle loss, and dosing convenience.
◇ "28% loss" high-dose Wegovy… Novo Nordisk strikes back
At this congress, Novo Nordisk drew attention in the medical community by releasing clinical results for high-dose Wegovy (7.2 mg).
According to a post hoc analysis of the STEP UP trial, about 27% of patients given 7.2 mg of Wegovy were classified as "early responders" within 24 weeks of treatment, having lost at least 15% of their body weight. They recorded an average 27.7% weight reduction at week 72. Patients who were not early responders still saw an average 15.4% weight reduction.
In an MRI subgroup analysis, 84% of the weight lost was fat, and visceral abdominal fat decreased by more than 30%. Although muscle mass declined somewhat, actual muscle function remained similar to the placebo group.
Novo Nordisk also released data for oral Wegovy (semaglutide 25 mg). In the OASIS 4 trial, early responders showed an average 21.6% weight reduction at 64 weeks.
In particular, in an indirect comparison analysis, the company said oral Wegovy showed greater weight loss and a lower likelihood of treatment discontinuation than Eli Lilly and Company's oral GLP-1 drug "Orforglipron."
◇ Lilly counters with "maintenance therapy"
Eli Lilly and Company, which launched Mounjaro (global brand name Zepbound), focused on post-weight-loss maintenance strategies at this congress. The move targets concerns about "rebound (yo-yo effect)," a key limitation of GLP-1 drugs.
Lilly released results evaluating whether low-dose (5 mg) could maintain weight loss after high-dose "Zepbound (tirzepatide)" therapy. The trial enrolled patients treated for about 60 weeks at the maximum doses of 10 mg or 15 mg and then moved them into maintenance therapy.
In that trial, patients whose average weight had dropped to 196.2 pounds (about 89 kg) after maximum-dose therapy saw a slight increase to about 208.6 pounds (about 94.6 kg) after 52 weeks on 5 mg maintenance therapy. That suggests the rebound was limited. Lilly said it applied an analysis set excluding patients with poor treatment adherence.
Lilly also said that when the oral obesity drug "Foundayo (Orforglipron)" was used as a maintenance therapy, patients who switched from Zepbound gained only about 5 kg, and those who switched from Novo Nordisk's Wegovy gained only about 0.9 kg.
Kenneth Custer, president of Lilly's cardiovascular and metabolic diseases institutional sector, said, "Because obesity is a chronic disease requiring long-term treatment, patients need a variety of options they can stay on for a long time," and added, "We are focused on offering multiple choices tailored to patients' weight-loss journeys."
◇ "We're up next"… fierce chase in obesity drugs
Latecomer corporations are also speeding up development. To catch up with existing obesity drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro (Zepbound), they are focusing on superior weight-loss efficacy and minimizing muscle loss.
One such company is U.S. biotech corporation Viking Therapeutics. The company unveiled phase 2 results for its oral obesity drug candidate "VK2735" at this congress. VK2735 is a dual agonist that simultaneously stimulates GLP-1 and GIP receptors and is being developed in two formulations: an oral pill and a subcutaneous injection (SC).
In a phase 2 trial of 280 adults with obesity or overweight, VK2735 achieved an average 12.2% (about 12.1 kg) weight loss at the highest dose (120 mg) over 13 weeks of treatment. The injectable is currently in phase 3. Viking CEO Brian Lian said, "VK2735 could be the first oral GLP-1/GIP dual agonist."
Among domestic corporations, Hanmi Pharmaceutical is moving the fastest. The company has launched an organizational reshuffle and a companywide task force to commercialize the GLP-1 obesity treatment "Efpeglenatide" within the year.
The company views obesity not as a simple weight issue but as a complex metabolic disease that includes diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and it is pushing for expanded indications and various formulations. It is also developing follow-up pipelines, including a triple agonist, a candidate to suppress muscle loss, and an oral pill.
HK inno.N is also in pursuit. The company is aiming to complete dosing this year in a domestic phase 3 trial of the GLP-1 drug IN-B00009 (ecknoglutide). JW Pharmaceutical is seeking to enter phase 3 trials of bopanglutide (GZR18), licensed in from China's Gan & Lee, for obesity and type 2 diabetes indications.
Companies entering oral drug development include Ildong Pharmaceutical and D&D Pharmatech.
ID110521156, a candidate from subsidiary Unovia, which will be absorbed and merged into Ildong Pharmaceutical Group, has completed phase 1. D&D Pharmatech transferred six candidates applying the oral peptide platform technology "ORALINK" to U.S. partner Metsera. Of those, two (MET-224o, MET-097o) are in phase 1.
Celltrion is taking on a two-track approach—developing a quadruple agonist targeting four receptors and an oral pill—to surpass existing GLP-1 single and dual agonists. It is currently in preclinical stages and plans to submit an investigational new drug (IND) application in 2027.
Current obesity drugs on the market are given as weekly injections or daily pills. This is fueling heated competition to extend duration of action and improve dosing convenience.
Daewoong Pharmaceutical has initiated a phase 1 trial of DWRX5003, a microneedle patch obesity treatment. Peptron is developing PT403, a once-monthly long-acting injection, and Inventage Lab and Yuhan are jointly pursuing development of a once-monthly injectable.
Samsung Bioepis also joined the obesity drug race by signing a contract with G2GBIO in March and securing exclusive development and commercialization rights for two long-acting candidates, including semaglutide (the active ingredient in Wegovy).