Analysis-Wall Street sees new obesity pills as priced near Wegovy and Zepbound

By Maggie Fick and Bhanvi Satija

SEATTLE (Reuters) -U.S. prices for obesity-treatment pills that Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk aim to launch next year likely will be on par with their weight-loss injections, analysts and investors say, in a departure from the usual practice of charging more for new medicines despite pressure to cut prices.

Neither drugmaker has disclosed pricing plans for their new daily oral medications. With regulatory approvals and launches still months away, pricing plans could change. Denmark-based Novo expects approval later this year and to launch soon after, while Indianapolis-based Lilly expects to launch by August 2026.

Novo’s Wegovy and Lilly’s Zepbound, administered as weekly injections, are the only highly effective weight-loss drugs targeting the GLP-1 hormon