One in eight American adults say they have tried a GLP-1 drug, according to a recent survey.
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meIt’s not often that a class of chemicals becomes a household name, but glucagon-like peptide-1, also known as GLP-1, has achieved that status. A survey published by KFF this week found that one in eight adults said they had taken a GLP-1 drug, which is currently targeted at patients with diabetes, obesity and heart disease, and more than 80% at least n has heard of This is partly thanks to social media, where discussion of these drugs has uncovered a 2023 study, for example, found that the first 100 videos shown on TikTok with #Ozempic collectively had more than 70 million views.
The massive interest in GLP-1 drugs has led to a business boom for the two dominant pharmaceutical players in this space, Lilly and Novo Nordisk, which sold more than $7.3 billion of their GLP-1 drugs in the first three months of l ‘year. And between increased manufacturing capacity and new drug pipelines, the pair is well positioned to continue dominating the market for this new category of drugs, which have generated industry excitement both thanks to strong efficacy in several different diseases and with little security. concerns for patients.
And this is in addition to the persistent shortage of drugs. Although the FDA has reported that several different doses of semaglutide (also known as Ozempic and Wegovy) are still in limited supply, said Lars Jrgensen, CEO of Novo Nordisk. Forbes that your company has increased manufacturing. The company is now putting more initial doses that the first patients receive until its doctors find the best dose level for them in the supply chain than it originally planned for 2024. Morgan Stanley projects that if its pace of current production remains, its global sales Wegovy alone can reach 10.5 billion dollars this year.
In February, Novo Nordisk announced it was bolstering its manufacturing capacity through its parent company Novo Holdings’ $16.5 billion acquisition of contract manufacturing company Catalent. However, the closing of this transaction has been delayed due to oversight by the Federal Trade Commission.
Similarly, according to the FDA, certain doses of tirzepatide (also known as Wegovy and Zepbound) are also in limited supply. Lilly announced it was buying a new manufacturing facility from Nexus Pharmaceuticals for an undisclosed amount last month. During its earnings call last week, Lilly noted that its Zepbound shipments were slightly below original projections, but an analyst note from investment firm Jefferies commented that this is not a concern because it does not it seems to be driven by a lack of demand.
But while Lilly and Novo Nordisk have gotten off to a good start in the obesity space, competition is on the horizon. Several companies are working on GLP-1 drugs, including Amgen, which touted encouraging interim clinical data for its MariTide drug on its earnings call earlier this month. Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck and Sanofi also have similar drugs in the pipeline, not to mention a number of smaller biotech companies, some of which are collaborating with larger companies.
Jrgensen said he wasn’t too worried about the competition just yet. By the time a company gets to late-stage clinical trials, you’re too late, he said. It takes several years to build the kind of capability you’re dealing with here, so it’s a daunting task to put everything in place.
This advantage is compounded by the fact that these drugs are potentially useful for a wide number of conditions, not just obesity and diabetes. In March, the FDA approved the use of Ozempic for patients at risk of heart problems, which Lilly is also testing in the clinic. In April, Lilly presented clinical data that tirzepatide reduced the severity of sleep apnea in patients. Novo Nordisk is also investigating semaglutide’s potential to treat Alzheimer’s fatty liver disease and kidney disease.
Both companies are also looking to refine and develop what they hope will be new and better versions. Lilly has new obesity drugs in clinical development, including a monoclonal antibody treatment for obesity, as well as another potential new treatment that is a different class of drug than GLP-1, but behaves similarly.
Last week, Novo Nordisk announced it had signed a research agreement with biotech company Metaphore to develop two new therapeutics in a deal potentially worth $600 million. This is in addition to its new GLP-1 treatment CagriSema, a combination of GLP-1 drugs and a second drug targeting diabetes and weight loss.
Both companies are also focusing on drugs that can be taken as pills rather than injected, which could also ease some of the supply chain constraints facing the drugs over the next two years, according to Barclays Director of Biopharmaceutical Research Carter Gould. At an obesity conference in New York City on Tuesday, he highlighted the potential of Lillys small molecule obesity drug currently in Phase 3 clinical trials. Oral versions will be the big game changer, he said.
New manufacturing capacity at both Novo Nordisk and Lilly is also expected to benefit these new drugs as they come to market. It will be flexible enough in nature that it can also help us build the next generation of drugs, Jrgensen said. So we’re building a broad and deep portfolio of innovations, and many of them can leverage the same footprint.
Additional reporting by Katie Jennings
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