Semaglutide becomes a blockbuster (2017-2021)
Novo Nordisk's injectable semaglutide, sold as Ozempic for diabetes and Wegovy for obesity, turned GLP-1 drugs into the best-selling medicine class in the world.
Demand for weight-loss drugs outstripped supply and drove Novo's valuation past most European companies.
The category's scale drew Lilly and others into a fierce race for the next generation of oral options.
The blockbuster market shows what an oral competitor stands to capture and why Lilly pushed orforglipron through a huge cardiovascular trial before filing.
