Obesity Medications: No More Injections? Just as Effective Pills Are Coming Soon

Diabetes and obesity medications, currently injectable, are expected to soon hit the market in oral tablet form.

The new generation of appetite suppressant drugs will soon arrive in pill form. These drugs, called GLP-1 analogs, are now available as injections for diabetes and obesity. Highly effective for weight loss, they are increasingly popular, especially in France. They would be even more so if all you had to do was take a pill instead of an injection...

This should soon become a reality. Laboratories that market GLP-1 analogues (such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, both available in France) are racing to be the first to bring these oral medications to market. Two of them are close to achieving this.

The American laboratory Eli Lilly, which markets Mounjaro, presented the results of its oral drug called orforglipron on August 26, 2025. According to the laboratory, these results allow it to apply for marketing authorization. The drug caused an average weight loss of 10% in tests on obese and diabetic patients over 72 weeks. Other recently published tests had shown a weight loss of 12% in obese but non-diabetic patients.

In comparison, the same medications in injection form cause an average weight loss of 20%. Both medications and injections cause side effects, including nausea and vomiting.

A second laboratory is currently testing an oral GLP-1 analogue: Novo Nordisk, which markets Wegovy. Its oral drug, called Rybelsus, is already the subject of a marketing application to the FDA, the American drug agency. While it is slightly more effective than its competitor (an average weight loss of 15% during the trials), it must be taken on an empty stomach. It will also likely be more expensive than Eli Lilly's, even though both drugs will be cheaper and faster to produce than injections.

These drugs are highly anticipated alternatives to injections. Obesity affects one in eight people worldwide, and 17% of the French population. However, it will take some time before they reach the market. In the meantime, GLP-1 analogs in injection form are available in France and can be prescribed by general practitioners (and no longer just certain specialists) since June 2025.