Front Row with BioCentury: Competition in the obesity market

Obesity has rapidly evolved from a condition viewed primarily as a behavioral issue to one of the most competitive and commercially significant markets in biopharma. In this episode of Front Row with BioCentury, Director of Biopharma Intelligence Stephen Hansen traces the parallels between obesity and Type II diabetes, explaining how the arrival of highly efficacious GLP-1 therapies — and now oral formulations — transformed both the medical mindset and the market opportunity.

In this in-depth interview, Hansen connects the next wave of innovation shaping the field, from oral GLP-1s and ultra-long-acting pharmacokinetics to the rising enthusiasm around amylin and other non-incretin mechanisms aimed at improving tolerability and driving higher-quality weight loss. He explores whether muscle-sparing approaches, longer dosing intervals, and combination strategies could redefine treatment paradigms, and what regulatory and payer hurdles still need to be addressed...