The battle between Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) and Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO) has so far been defined by blockbuster injectable weight loss drugs. But the next phase of that rivalry may look very different. Instead of competing over weekly injections, both companies are now racing to establish themselves in what could become the next major opportunity in obesity treatment: oral GLP-1 medicines.
Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) has just taken an important step in that race with its once-daily drug Foundayo that targets the GLP-1 hormone. Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved Foundayo on August 10 for both weight management and type 2 diabetes, making the United Kingdom the first European country to authorize the tablet for both indications. While the approval does not immediately translate into sales, it gives Lilly (NYSE:LLY) its first European regulatory win for the oral therapy and opens another potential growth market beyond the United States.
The approval also extends the rollout of Lilly’s (NYSE:LLY) once-daily oral GLP-1 therapy beyond the United States, where the drug has been building commercial momentum since its launch in April. Although Foundayo entered the market after Novo Nordisk’s (NYSE:NVO) oral Wegovy, the expansion into Europe marks another important step in Lilly’s (NYSE:LLY) effort to compete across both injectable and oral obesity treatments.
Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO) Has the Head Start
However, Eli Lilly’s (NYSE:LLY) Foundayo is not the first GLP-1 oral pill cleared in the United Kingdom, as Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO) has already taken the lead in the domain with the approval of its Wegovy pill as early as June. Foundayo’s approval has effectively marked an end to Wegovy’s single rule in the country and has further intensified competition between the two pharma giants in the rapidly expanding weight loss drug market.
The competition between the two giants does not end in the United Kingdom, as Eli Lilly’s (NYSE:LLY) Foundayo is currently under review in the European Union as well. However, Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy appears to have taken the lead in this geographical domain as well, winning a positive recommendation from the European Medicines Agency, with a final approval decision pending from the European Commission.
Why Convenience Could Matter
The rivalry is about more than timing. Foundayo is designed to be taken once a day without restrictions on food or water, while patients taking oral Wegovy must take the tablet on an empty stomach with a small amount of water and wait before eating, drinking, or taking other medications. That simpler routine could become an important point of differentiation if convenience proves to influence patient and physician preferences.
While the Foundayo tablet has received authorization for use in the United Kingdom, it is not yet available through the NHS, according to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, or MHRA. Reuters reported that, according to a Lilly (NYSE:LLY) spokesperson, Foundayo is set to launch in the United Kingdom through private prescription later this month, carrying a lower UK list price privately when compared to Mounjaro, which is listed at £330 for a month’s supply. However, the spokesperson did not provide additional insight into Foundayo’s expected pricing.
Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO) currently has the advantage of being first to market in oral GLP-1s, but Eli Lilly’s (NYSE:LLY) approval changes the competitive landscape. While Novo has benefited from an early lead, Lilly’s more convenient dosing regimen and continued international rollout give it a credible opportunity to narrow that gap. The next stage of competition will likely depend less on regulatory approvals and more on physician adoption, pricing, and commercial execution.
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