Pharmaceutical companies are in a race to create the first pill for obesity using a substance called GLP-1. Novo Nordisk’s pill version of Wegovy is expected to be the first, with Eli Lilly’s orforglipron close behind. Other companies, like Pfizer, are also working on their own versions. Pfizer recently bought a company called Metsera, which has a variety of obesity drugs in development, including an early-stage pill. Pfizer also made a deal with a Chinese company, YaoPharma, to develop another obesity pill. The global market for weight-loss drugs is expected to reach $150 billion by 2035, attracting many companies. Another Chinese company, Ascletis Pharma, recently announced results from a mid-stage trial of its oral GLP-1 drug, but it was not as effective as others. Several companies are leading the way in developing these pills. Structure Therapeutics recently reported positive results from two studies of its oral GLP-1 pill, aleniglipron. In one study, patients lost over 11% of their body weight on average, and in another, they lost up to 15.3%. The company plans to start late-stage testing next year. Novo Nordisk recently had a setback in a study of its oral semaglutide for Alzheimer’s disease, but it had success with a new obesity drug called amycretin. In a mid-stage study, the oral version of amycretin helped patients lose 7.6% of their body weight. Novo Nordisk plans to start late-stage testing of both injectable and oral versions of amycretin in 2026. Viking Therapeutics also had positive results from a mid-stage trial of its oral obesity drug, VK2735. Patients lost an average of 10.9% of their body weight, but there were some side effects that caused some patients to stop taking the drug. The company plans to start late-stage testing of its injectable version and may also test the pill version.