The data: Novo’s Wegovy obesity pill sales reached $811 million in Q3, up 53% QoQ and 17% above analysts’ expectations, per Reuters. Eli Lilly’s Foundayo sales nearly doubled from $98 million in Q2 to $184 million in Q3, but missed analysts’ expectations by 15%, the company reported last week.

Why it matters: Novo’s early lead in obesity pills gives it an advantage in a market where Lilly controls injectables. In the week ending October 23, Wegovy pill prescriptions totaled 183,000, compared with 63,110 for Foundayo, per IQVIA data cited by Reuters. Novo’s pill was first-to-market launched in January, followed by Lilly’s in April.

Lilly’s lead in injectable obesity drugs remains significant. Zepbound sales climbed 49% YoY to $5.4 billion in Q3, while Novo’s Wegovy injectable sales fell 2% at constant exchange rates to about $3.1 billion, per Zacks Equity Research. The Wegovy pill is giving Novo another source of sales growth as its injectable business faces competitive pressure from Lilly’s more effective shots, per clinical studies.

Implications for pharma marketers: Q4 results will offer a fuller picture of Novo’s and Lilly’s pill sales in a market that’s still in early stages. The more revealing test may come in early 2027, when New Year’s weight-loss interest brings even more patients into the oral market. Whichever company captures more of those new patients could determine whether Novo widens its lead or Lilly narrows the gap.

Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Viking Therapeutics and other drugmakers developing obesity treatments can draw lessons from the early pill launches that go beyond drug efficacy. As pills add another treatment alongside injectables, marketers have opportunities for more targeted outreach. Entrants should pinpoint what drives patients to choose one formulation over another, then use those insights to shape messaging around treatment benefits, convenience, and access.