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 11:30AM

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 Knoblauch6/15/26

Electronic Arts launches a platform to put more ads in its games

Video game publishing giant EA launched a new platform on Monday designed to make the process of selling immersive ad space in its popular games easier.

The company says the platform, called EA Advertising, allows brands to “integrate directly into gameplay through dynamic, real-time placements, from stadium signage to custom in-game content.”

More so than other studios, EA has incorporated advertising into its most popular titles. As Kotaku points out, the company’s ad efforts stretch as far back as 2006. Several of its sports franchises already feature partnerships with brands like Visa, Lowe’s, Red Bull, and PepsiCo.

In-game advertising hasn’t exactly been embraced by fans, but industry experts expect it to ramp up as companies seek more revenue to offset higher games budgets and surging memory costs. EA rival Take-Two has taken a different approach, with CEO Strauss Zelnick recently saying the company was “not at risk of doing brand partnerships” in the forthcoming “Grand Theft Auto VI,” and that ads in full-price games seems “unfair.”

The $55 billion deal to take EA private, led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, is set to close at the end of this month. Being the largest leveraged buyout in history, EA will likely look for more ways to boost revenue to cover interest payments.

Electronic Arts Makes Push for Ad Dollars Tied to Sports

Millie Giles6/11/26

JM Smucker says it sold $1 billion worth of Uncrustables in FY2026

After years of booming sandwich sales, JM Smucker has finally earned a billion-dollar crust.

On Tuesday, the company reported results for fiscal year 2026, highlighting better-than-expected profits driven by higher prices for coffee and sweet baked goods. However, at another point on the earnings call, CEO Mark Smucker pointed to one particularly jammy figure: in line with previous forecasts, the company sold $1 billion worth of its (almost always) crustless sandwiches, Uncrustables, in the last year alone.

Max Knoblauch6/8/26

Paramount reportedly offers concessions to resolve multistate antitrust investigation

Paramount has reportedly offered up some concessions in an effort to prevent an antitrust lawsuit by California and about 10 other states, according to Bloomberg reporting on Monday.

Reuters first reported on the potential suit from a group of unnamed states last week, which could throw a wrench in Paramount’s plans to buy rival Warner Bros. Discovery in a Hollywood megamerger.

The list of concessions is unknown, though Bloomberg previously reported that Paramount is open to divesting some of its kids TV assets to appease EU regulators.

Late last month, reports said US regulators appeared likely to approve the $110 billion merger, following a meeting between Paramount CEO David Ellison and DOJ antitrust staffers.

Paramount Offers Concessions to Head Off State Antitrust Lawsuit

The list of concessions is unknown, though Bloomberg previously reported that Paramount is open to divesting some of its kids TV assets to appease EU regulators.

Late last month, reports said US regulators appeared likely to approve the $110 billion merger, following a meeting between Paramount CEO David Ellison and DOJ antitrust staffers.

$98B ⛽

Max Knoblauch6/8/26

The IATA released its latest financial outlook for the airline industry over the weekend, forecasting a $98 billion jump in the sector’s collective fuel bill. The world’s largest trade group representing airlines expects the oil spike to halve profits by 49% from last year to $23 billion.

The group also expects profit margins to halve year over year, falling from 2025’s 4.2% to 2%. Still, revenue is expected to climb to $1.17 trillion from $1.07 trillion.

A surge in the cost of jet fuel has rocked US and global airlines this year, leading Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, and others to raise fares and ancillary charges like bag fees. Low-cost carriers, which operate on smaller margins, have been squeezed the hardest, resulting in Spirit’s shutdown.

“It’s a tough year for all airlines, especially those whose balance sheets had not yet recovered from COVID. And, of course, for those operating in the Gulf,” said IATA Director General Willie Walsh, who added that demand is holding up and about half of passengers expect to spend more on travel this year. “That bodes well for a strong northern summer peak season. The big unknown is how long travelers and shippers can tolerate the higher costs of connectivity.”