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Weight-loss pills could capture as much as \u200bhalf of the global obesity drug market by 2030, Novo Nordisk\u2019s chief \u200cexecutive told Reuters on Tuesday, as the Danish drugmaker positions itself for a shift away from weekly injections.<\/strong><\/p>\n CEO Mike Doustdar said Novo was preparing for a market in which pills play a much \u200blarger role. The company has five oral treatments in development after beating rival \u200bEli Lilly to market with the first obesity pill earlier this \u2060year.<\/p>\n Doustdar told Reuters after Novo\u2019s Capital Markets Day in London that competitors remained heavily \u200bfocused on injectables, which still dominate the market, a dynamic he said could favour \u200bNovo over the longer term.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happens if by 2030 the market is 50\/50 (pills-to-injectables)?\u201d he said, noting that rivals\u2019 pipelines contain eight injectables for every two pills under development. \u201cWe are preparing ourselves for all \u200bscenarios, including that one.\u201d<\/p>\n CHANGING FORTUNES<\/strong><\/p>\n If realised, that split would exceed Wall Street forecasts, which \u200bexpect oral treatments to account for about 14% to 40% of an obesity market projected to reach \u200cbetween $100 \u2060billion and $150 billion by 2030.<\/p>\n Novo\u2019s fortunes have reversed sharply since the 2021 launch of its Wegovy weight-loss medication helped make it Europe\u2019s most valuable listed company. Its shares have tumbled more than 70% from their peak as Lilly has overtaken its market share.<\/p>\n The \u200bcompany has found some \u200brelief in its \u2060Wegovy pill. Oral therapies now account for about a third of US obesity prescriptions following the pill\u2019s rollout, according to company presentations \u200bon Monday, with Novo capturing more than 80% of new \u200boral prescriptions.<\/p>\n The \u2060pill generated nearly 5.5 billion Danish crowns ($843 million) in first-half sales.<\/p>\n Novo\u2019s oral obesity pipeline includes next-generation dual-acting tablet zenagamtide, an oral amylin analogue and a small-molecule drug.<\/p>\n Doustdar added oral Wegovy \u2060was protected \u200bfrom generic competition into the \u201cmid and late 30s\u201d \u200bthrough patents covering its SNAC delivery technology, addressing investor concerns over a patent cliff when active ingredient semaglutide \u200bloses exclusivity in the early 2030s.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n