Novo Nordisk has launched its Wegovy weight-loss pill in Germany, the first of the European Union’s 27 member states to receive the oral treatment. The launch comes as investors monitor intensifying competition with Eli Lilly, whose Zepbound injection has taken market share from Novo’s Wegovy. Analysts expect the obesity-drug market to exceed $100 billion annually by 2030. The Wegovy pill, which contains semaglutide and belongs to the GLP-1 class of medicines, launched earlier this year in the United States, Britain and the United Arab Emirates. Prices will vary by dosage and be comparable to Wegovy pens, whose pharmacy retail prices currently range from €170 to €280. Lilly’s Foundayo pill launched in the UK in late August and is under regulatory review in more than 40 markets, with a rollout across all major markets expected in 2027. Novo received a positive recommendation from the European Medicines Agency in May and European Commission authorization in July for use across the EU. Doustdar said in August that Novo estimated the pill had captured 90% of the oral obesity market, while Lilly’s product has gained momentum in the United States since its April approval and launch but still trails Wegovy. Novo said in January that pills could account for more than a third of GLP-1 use by 2030. The company is due to hold its capital markets day on September 21.