Still life of Ozempic and Wegovy with weight scale.

(Michael Siluk/Getty Images)

Is Ozempic old news?

The race to create the next miracle weight-loss drug is ramping up. Here’s where things stand.

3/14/25 10:30AM

Ozempic, a drug developed by Novo Nordisk to treat type 2 diabetes, entered the market in December 2017. Then people without diabetes learned it’s really good at making people lose weight.

Next came the celebrity Ozempic allegations, a weight-loss cheat code only the rich and famous could afford. Fast-forward to now: about 13% of adults have taken a GLP-1 medication, a class of drugs of which Ozempic is the most well known.

But Ozempic’s dominance is fleeting. Its patent expires in 2031 and Novo Nordisk wants to keep its place as the dominant weight-loss drug dealer as competition is heating up.

The company’s stock has recently taken a beating after the most recent clinical trials for its next weight-loss drug, CagriSema, fell short of expectations. Its shares fell even further after Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche announced Wednesday that it had struck a $5.3 billion deal to develop Danish biotech Zealand Pharma’s obesity drug candidate, further ramping up competition.

Who sells GLP-1s?

Besides Ozempic, which is for diabetes, Novo Nordisk also sells Wegovy, which has the same active ingredient as Ozempic, semaglutide, but can be prescribed explicitly for weight loss. The company made nearly $15 billion selling those two drugs alone in 2024.

Then there’s Eli Lilly, which sells Mounjaro and Zepbound; the first is for diabetes, the latter is for weight loss. Both have the active ingredient tirzepatide. These drugs entered the market in 2022 and are more effective than Novo Nordisk’s. Eli Lilly’s patent on tirzepatide expires in 2036.

GLP-1s, which work by mimicking a hormone that causes reduced appetite, have been around since 2005. Both Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have older, less effective GLP-1s with recently expired patents. Hims & Hers, a telepharmacy that sold knock-off Ozempic while it was in a shortage, said it would sell Novo Nordisk’s older GLP-1 drug, liraglutide.

Who’s making the next GLP-1 jab?

Once drugmakers saw the money to be made in weight-loss drugs, more have tried to develop their own while Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly try to improve on their current offerings.

Amgen is developing its own GLP-1 jab, MariTide, which would be administered once a month compared to the weekly injections currently on the market. Its most recent trial results in November showed that its effectiveness was in line with Wegovy and Zepbound, though not much better, disappointing investors.

Novo Nordisk is developing CagriSema (the one that recently produced disappointing clinical results), a jab that combines semaglutide with another compound, cagrilintide.

I’m scared of needles. What’s the state of oral GLP-1s?

Most people would rather not inject themselves, it turns out. Several companies have tried to make oral GLP-1s but have failed, including Pfizer and Roche.

Novo Nordisk is the only company with a GLP-1 pill on the market, Rybelsus, an oral form of semaglutide. Rybelsus is a daily pill that must be taken on an empty stomach rather than weekly injections, but it’s only approved to treat diabetes and some say it’s less effective.

Eli Lilly’s GLP-1 pill, Orforglipron, is in late-stage trials with final results expected mid-2025. Orforglipron can be taken on a more flexible schedule and may be more effective at delivering weight-loss results than Rybelsus. The company’s CEO, Dave Ricks, told Bloomberg he expects FDA approval in early 2026.

Max Knoblauch10/16/25

Uber launches “digital tasks” in the US, paying some drivers to train AI

Beginning later this fall, US Uber drivers will be able to earn money by completing short “digital tasks” like uploading restaurant menus or recording audio samples.

CEO Dara Khosrowshahi teased the new gig income stream back in June at the Bloomberg Tech conference.

At that time, Khosrowshahi said drivers and couriers were “labeling maps, translating language, looking at AI answers, and grading AI answers.” According to Thursday’s announcement, the tasks won’t be so focused on Uber’s business, but instead on connecting workers with “companies that need real people to help improve their technology.”

Per Uber, digital tasks can be done when drivers aren’t on a trip, be it at home or when not driving, and will take only “a few minutes” each.

Uber’s having drivers train its AI while partnering with robotaxi companies that could replace them

Per Uber, digital tasks can be done when drivers aren’t on a trip, be it at home or when not driving, and will take only “a few minutes” each.

Max Knoblauch

10/15/25

United Airlines posts stronger-than-expected profit but weaker sales in its third quarter

United’s full-year profit outlook falls somewhere in between the dual forecasts it issued back in April.

United Airlines Airplanes at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey

Hyunsoo Rim, David Crowther

HEAD OF MACROS

10/15/25

Pop-Tarts, Doritos, and Uncrustables have joined the protein craze taking over America’s snack aisle

Food giants are catching up with the latest diet obsession.

Apple TV dropped the “plus” as streamers keep pulling back on originals

After the spray-and-pray approach led to a wave of cancellations, Hollywood is settling into an era of just making fewer shows.

Hyunsoo Rim10/15/25

Max Knoblauch10/14/25

The average price of a new vehicle in the US passed $50,000 for the first time ever in September

The average price of a new vehicle in the US surpassed $50,000 in September, according to Cox Automotive’s Kelley Blue Book.

At $50,080, that’s the highest industry average ever, reflecting the price hikes faced by new car buyers in recent years amid pandemic supply shortages, tariff-induced increases, and the high cost of EV production. The figure marks a 3.6% jump from the same month last year.

“Tariffs have introduced new cost pressure to the business, but the pricing story in September was mostly driven by the healthy mix of EVs and higher-end vehicles pushing the new-vehicle ATP into uncharted territory,” Cox executive analyst Erin Keating said. Passing the $50,000 mark was inevitable, Keating said, especially considering that the country’s bestseller is a Ford truck that “routinely costs north of $65,000.”

Year over year, new vehicle prices rose nearly 6% for GM, while Ford’s climbed 2.5%. Volkswagen new prices were up 12.5%.

As prices climb, so do delinquencies on loans to borrowers with lower credit scores. Recent data from Fitch Ratings shows the portion of subprime US auto loans 60 days or more overdue reached 6.43% in August.