Pharma Giants Capitalize on Rising U.S. Obesity Rates with Weight-Loss Treatments

Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly lead the market, as global anti-obesity medication market projected to reach $100 billion by 2030.

Obesity rates in the U.S. have been rising steadily for well over a decade, with roughly one-third of adults in the U.S. being obese as of 2021, up from about a quarter in 2011. Some experts project that half of all U.S. adults will be obese by 2030.
Novo Nordisk reported a surge in profits and revenue during its most recent quarter, largely due to Wegovy, an injectable treatment for weight loss approved by the FDA in 2021. Obesity care sales rose 174% through the first three quarters of 2023 for Novo Nordisk, driven by the U.S. market.
Eli Lilly has recently entered the weight-loss treatment market with its regulatory approval for Zepbound, a new version of the diabetes drug Mounjaro. It has priced the drug at roughly a 20% discount to Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy.
The global market for anti-obesity medications reached $6 billion earlier this year and could grow to $100 billion by 2030, according to Goldman Sachs' forecasts.
Companies developing obesity treatments are trying to show the benefits on overall health in an effort to gain more traction on insurance coverage. More insurance coverage would eventually mean more affordable weight-loss management.