Weight-loss treatments are now as easy as taking a Flintstones gummy with breakfast.
What happened: Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk launched the world’s first GLP-1 weight-loss pill yesterday in the U.S., beating its rival Eli Lilly to what’s expected to be the next frontier of the lucrative obesity drug market. Eli Lilly is still waiting for its own pill to be approved in the U.S.
The lowest dose of the Wegovy pill will start at just US$149 a month — or as little as $25 with insurance — which is a steep discount from the ~$1,000 many Americans are currently paying for injectables like Ozempic and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound.
Why it matters: Price aside, simply swapping needles for a pill could be enough to convert and attract customers. One study found that over 75% of adults with Type 2 diabetes would prefer a daily pill over a weekly injectable treatment.
Our take: Canada is the first major market in the world to allow generic versions of weight-loss drugs. While that seemed like a big deal back when they couldn’t even make enough Ozempic to keep up with demand, a pill at a similar price point — generic versions of Wegovy injections are expected to land at ~$135 a month — could leave these long-awaited generic injectables without many takers.
Bottom line: Ozempic is already the bestselling prescription drug in Canada, and with more affordable products flooding the market, demand for weight loss drugs is poised to skyrocket.—LA