LONDON, U.K.: Weight-loss drugs are beginning to look less like traditional medicines and more like consumer products, as pharmaceutical companies, telehealth platforms, and digital apps reshape how GLP-1 treatments are prescribed, marketed, and used.

Executives across healthcare increasingly describe a future where weight-loss medication resembles a subscription service, dosing is tracked on smartphones, and access is as seamless as buying consumer goods online. That shift is accelerating as Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly prepare to introduce pill versions of their blockbuster injectable drugs and lean more heavily on cash-pay channels, telehealth, and consumer marketing.

The push comes as the global obesity market is forecast to reach about US$150 billion a year by the next decade. GLP-1 drugs have already transformed treatment by making weight loss a routine part of daily life, wedged between workouts, workdays, and digital habits.

Reuters spoke with dozens of people across the industry, from drugmakers and retailers to telehealth firms and investors, who described how weight-loss care is evolving to meet consumer expectations.

"We're imagining these medications may become so common that everybody's got a GLP-1 app ... right there on your phone next to your bank account and your weather app," said Catherine Brown, vice president of clinical services at digital health firm Welldoc, which has partnered with Lilly to build an app for medication reminders and dose tracking.

Rachel, a 61-year-old retired IT worker in California, said she still uses Noom's app even after reaching her weight goal with Lilly's Zepbound.

"Every day you have your little ‘snack,' mental snack, check-in, and so it helps me stay mindful," she said.

Pills Open New Use Cases

Novo's Wegovy and Lilly's Zepbound are currently delivered via once-weekly injections. Analysts and telehealth firms say daily pills could attract people who dislike needles, allow smaller or flexible dosing, or support short-term or maintenance use.

Some consultants said pills could even be used for targeted periods like holidays or "bathing suit season," or after patients stop injections.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Novo Nordisk's Wegovy pill earlier this week. Lilly's oral drug, orforglipron, is under regulatory review and could reach the market within months.

Novo expects to launch its pill in early January 2026. Lilly has said it will cap repeat cash-pay pricing for its pill at $399 a month, while both companies plan to offer starter doses at $149 a month for U.S. cash-pay customers. Prices for higher-dose Wegovy pills have not yet been disclosed.

"They're taking medicine out of medical and making it more of something you can purchase on a regular market," said Lindsay Allen, a health economist at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. "They're treating it like you can now come purchase a smartphone."

Consumer Market Takes Shape

The shift carries significant financial and social implications. Lilly became the first drugmaker to reach a $1 trillion valuation this year, while Novo became Europe's most valuable listed company in 2024, despite a recent pullback in its shares.

Drugmakers are increasingly hiring consumer-focused talent, partnering with telehealth firms and retailers such as Amazon, and relying on third-party marketing that can blur the line between medicine and lifestyle.

"I can charge less and get it to more people at scale, and I actually don't really need a healthcare system," Lilly CEO Dave Ricks said on the Cheeky Pint podcast in November. "People know how to treat themselves; you certainly know if you are overweight or obese, you don't need a doctor to tell you that."

Some clinicians worry that direct-to-consumer access could undermine medical oversight. GLP-1 drugs have shown benefits beyond weight loss, including for heart health and sleep apnea, but they can also cause severe gastrointestinal side effects and rare cases of pancreatitis, depression, and vision problems.

"We run the risk of trivializing obesity," said Dr. Robert Kushner of Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine. "We need to be just very cautious about who gets the drug, how it's being used, and if it's going to be used, it's being used safely and effectively."

Millions Still Untapped

Nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, yet only about 12 percent currently use GLP-1 drugs. Pills could significantly expand that number, industry experts say.

Novo CEO Mike Doustdar told investors in October that obesity care was becoming "increasingly consumer-like," noting that patients actively seek treatment rather than waiting for doctors to suggest it.

Cash-pay customers now account for about 10 percent of Wegovy prescriptions and roughly 30 percent of Zepbound prescriptions, according to IQVIA data cited by analysts.

Telehealth platforms such as Noom, Ro, and WeightWatchers are playing a growing role by connecting users with prescribers and framing treatment as part of broader lifestyle improvement.

"(Patients) don't come to us saying 'I want a GLP 1,'" said Ro CEO Zachariah Reitano. "They come saying, 'I want to lose weight, have more energy, less pain, better sex, better skin' — and we organise care around that."

Industry insiders said that pills are unlikely to replace injections, but will expand the market and change how consumers engage with weight loss.

"We want to make health a habit," said Noom CEO Geoff Cook.