Weight Loss Drugs in 2026: New Therapies, Lower Prices, and More Choice

After years marked by high prices, shortages, and the necessity of weekly injections, the GLP-1 weight loss drug market is on the verge of a major transformation. According to NBC News, medications like Wegovy and Zepbound are expected to become more accessible, more affordable, and more varied in their delivery methods as early as 2026.

“The landscape of GLP-1 therapies is expected to expand significantly,” says Dr. Christopher McGowan, a gastroenterologist and head of a weight loss clinic in North Carolina. “For the first time, obesity treatment will move away from a ‘one-size-fits-all’ model.”

The most significant change comes with the introduction of GLP-1 weight loss tablets. Last month, Novo Nordisk received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the first oral GLP-1 weight reduction medication—a tablet form of Wegovy, which is expected to be widely available as early as this month.

Eli Lilly is also expected to receive approval for its own GLP-1 tablet later this year.

According to Dr. Shauna Levy, medical director of the Tulane University Weight Loss Center, tablets are an excellent alternative for patients who do not want injections or have had difficulty accessing injectable forms. “As supply increases, I hope competition will lead to further price reductions,” she commented.

Monthly tablet therapy is expected to be cheaper than injections. Novo Nordisk announced that the two lowest doses of tablet Wegovy will cost $149 per month for uninsured patients. In comparison, the lowest dose of the injectable version costs $349 when self-funded.

Higher doses of the tablets will be priced at $299 per month, and for insured patients, the co-pay could drop to as low as $25, according to the company.

Dr. Daniela Hurtado Andrade of the Mayo Clinic warns that the most significant weight loss is observed at the highest doses, which also means higher costs. “Even $149 a month is unaffordable for some patients. This needs to be discussed openly because expectations are not always realistic,” she emphasized.

One of the disadvantages of the tablet form is the requirement for a strict regimen—taking it every morning on an empty stomach. Clinical studies show that with strict adherence to the regimen, patients lose an average of 16.6% of their body weight, while with inconsistent intake, the loss drops to 13.6%.

Eli Lilly is nearing the completion of clinical trials for what could be the most powerful GLP-1 drug to date, called retatrutide.

Like Wegovy and Zepbound, retatrutide is administered as a weekly injection. It targets GLP-1 and GIP—the same two hormones targeted by Lilly’s blockbuster drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound. Retatrutide also acts on a third hormone called glucagon, which may further enhance weight loss.

Lilly reported in December that in a Phase 3 clinical trial, patients taking the highest dose of the experimental injection lost an average of nearly 29% of their body weight after approximately 16 months—more than has been observed with any GLP-1 drug currently available on the market.

The study involved approximately 450 adults with obesity or overweight and knee osteoarthritis.

“These are results we simply didn’t think were possible a few years ago,” McGowan said.

However, the high efficacy of the drug may come at a cost in the form of more intense side effects, such as nausea, diarrhea, constipation, and vomiting. Lilly reported a treatment discontinuation rate of 18.2% for patients who received the drug, compared to 4% in the placebo group. For comparison, the discontinuation rate for the highest-dose group in a separate Zepbound trial was only 6.2%.

“More is not always better,” McGowan said. “In real-world clinical practice, these discontinuation rates may be even higher.” Andrade stated that the medication could be useful for people with severe obesity who still struggle to lose weight with existing GLP-1 drugs, although she would like to see more data on side effects.

A Lilly spokesperson said the company is conducting seven additional trials of retatrutide, which are expected to conclude in 2026. The company could file for FDA approval as early as this year.

Expectations are that access to the drugs will also expand through cash-pay programs. Lilly first began offering cash-pay discounts for certain doses of Zepbound in 2024 through its LillyDirect program. Novo Nordisk later followed suit with NovoCare Pharmacy in March, starting to sell Wegovy at a reduced price for cash-paying patients.

In 2025, some major retail chains also joined in. In October, Costco announced it would sell Wegovy and Ozempic for $499 per month for cash-paying customers, and Walmart introduced a similar agreement with Lilly for Zepbound.

In 2026, the Trump administration will launch the self-pay platform TrumpRx.gov. The website will not sell prescription drugs directly but will connect people to pharmaceutical company sites offering discounts.

The average monthly price of weight loss injections through TrumpRx is expected to start around $350 and drop to about $250 within the next two years, President Donald Trump stated when announcing the arrangements with manufacturers. Starting doses of GLP-1 tablets are expected to cost $149.

Dr. Susan Spratt, a professor of medicine at Duke University School of Medicine, said the partnerships “will only improve access.” The question, she added, is whether the discounts will be sufficient to improve access for everyone who would benefit from these drugs. “They are still quite expensive,” Spratt said.

Dr. Shauna Levy was adamant that self-pay options will make the drugs more easily accessible, especially for people whose insurance does not cover them.

Many of these self-funding options connect patients with doctors via telemedicine, who determine if they are eligible for treatment and issue a prescription.

“I think there is potential to increase access through deals for cheaper products at Walmart and Costco,” Levy said, “but I really want to make sure that patients are being treated and followed by obesity medicine specialists or doctors who truly know how to work with anti-obesity medications.”