The GLP-1 pipeline
What’s coming after Wegovy and Zepbound: oral GLP-1s, triple agonists, and amylin combinations. Stage, mechanism, and expected milestones.
Orforglipron(Foundayo)
Eli Lilly
First oral non-peptide GLP-1. No injection, no cold chain, no food/water timing restrictions of oral semaglutide. Launch pricing reported near $149/month.
FDA-approved 2026; commercial launch underway
Retatrutide
Eli Lilly
The "triple G" — phase 2 showed up to ~24% mean weight loss at 48 weeks, the highest reported in the class to date. Glucagon arm also targets liver fat.
Phase 3 TRIUMPH program; potential filing 2026-2027
CagriSema
Novo Nordisk
Combines an amylin analog with semaglutide. REDEFINE-1 weight loss came in below the most bullish expectations but remains competitive; dosing flexibility is a focus.
REDEFINE program readouts; FDA filing anticipated 2026
Oral semaglutide 25 mg (obesity)(oral Wegovy)
Novo Nordisk
A higher-dose oral semaglutide for weight management. Requires fasting administration with limited water — a real-world adherence consideration versus orforglipron.
FDA review for the obesity indication 2026
Survodutide
Boehringer Ingelheim / Zealand
Glucagon component drives additional energy expenditure and targets liver fat — strong MASH (fatty liver) phase 2 data.
Phase 3 in obesity and MASH; readouts 2026-2027
Mazdutide
Innovent / Eli Lilly
GLP-1/glucagon dual agonist with notable effect on waist circumference and liver fat; furthest along in the Chinese market.
Approved in China 2026; Western trials ongoing
FAQ
What is the most promising GLP-1 drug in the pipeline?
For weight loss magnitude, retatrutide (Eli Lilly’s triple GLP-1/GIP/glucagon agonist) showed the highest phase-2 weight loss reported in the class (~24% at 48 weeks). For convenience, orforglipron (oral, no injection or food-timing restrictions) is the biggest near-term shift. CagriSema and survodutide are the other leading candidates.
When will an oral GLP-1 for weight loss be available?
Orforglipron (Foundayo), the first oral small-molecule GLP-1, reached FDA approval in 2026. A higher-dose oral semaglutide for obesity is under FDA review. Oral options remove the injection barrier that keeps some patients off GLP-1 therapy.
How current is this pipeline data?
The milestone data is manually verified and refreshed regularly; the active-trial counts are pulled live from the ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 and refresh daily. Drug development timelines shift — always confirm regulatory status with primary FDA sources before making decisions.