Pill for Obesity Has Wall Street Salivating - WSJ

The Ozempic craze has captured the national imagination, along with that of Wall Street.

The financial potential for drugs that lead to significant weight loss isn’t hard to grasp. If even a small portion of the 40% of Americans who are obese get on these medications, the companies that offer them could be looking at massive blockbusters.

But to target the millions of potential patients, manufacturers need to offer more than just weight-loss data. Things like price, convenience and access are also important. For now, Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and its sister drug, Wegovy, as well as Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro (which is approved for diabetes but not yet for obesity) are expensive—costing over $10,000 a year—and are only available as injections.