As the oral weight-loss drug market has started to emerge, AstraZeneca has told shareholders that it will advance its candidate to pivotal trials.
The big pharma company announced it will initiate several Phase III trials for elecoglipron, which was licensed from Eccogene in 2023. The oral glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor-agonist (GLP-1RA) met the primary endpoints in both the VISTA (NCT06579092) and SOLSTICE (NCT06579105) trials.
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The VISTA study showed a significant change in body weight from baseline and the proportion of participants with weight loss ≥5% from baseline weight after 26 weeks. Meanwhile, SOLSTICE achieved its main goal of change in HbA1c from baseline at the same time point.
While not revealing the full data, AstraZeneca said it will advance the drug to Phase III trials and that its oral candidate is competitive with other oral GLP-1RAs.
Speaking in the investors’ presentation on 10 February, CEO of AstraZeneca, Pascal Soriot, said: “We would never move a product into Phase III and unleash the kind of spend we are committing to if we didn’t think we had a product with a competitive profile. We believe we have a very competitive profile, and it doesn’t rely on combinations; it actually relies on the monotherapy itself. Of course, combination comes on top, but if the monotherapy was not competitive, it would be hard to move it into Phase III.”
Full results from both studies will be presented at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) conference in June 2026.
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By GlobalDataThe oral GLP-1RA is far from the only obesity drug in AstraZeneca’s pipeline, said Sharon Barr, executive vice president of BioPharmaceuticals R&D at AstraZeneca. In January 2026, AstraZeneca signed an $18.5bn licensing deal with China-based CSPC Pharmaceuticals to develop longer-lasting weight-loss drugs.
Barr explained: “Our overarching goal is to create a weight management portfolio that addresses obesity and its interconnected conditions. Our diversified pipeline uniquely positions us to explore novel combinations. Alongside elecoglipron, we continue to advance our broader portfolio of different mechanisms, including a selective Amylin receptor agonist, AZD6234, as a monotherapy and in combination with our dual GLP-1/glucagon receptor agonist, AZD9550, both of which are expected to deliver first Phase II data this year. We also continue to invest in our earlier programmes, augmented by recent external innovation to further strengthen our pipeline in this space.”
Oral GLP-1RA starting gun fired
Novo Nordisk was the first company off the weight loss pill starting line after it received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December 2025 for oral Wegovy (semaglutide). The drug went on the market in January and has since been subject to Most Favored Nation (MFN) pricing, as per an agreement with the White House.
Eli Lilly is hot on Novo Nordisk’s heels, however, with its oral candidate orfiglipron awaiting a decision by the FDA, which is expected in April 2026.
According to GlobalData’s Obesity: Seven-Market Drug Forecast and Market Analysis – Update, the obesity market will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 32.3% until 2031 in the seven major markets (7MM: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, the UK and the US).
GlobalData is the parent company of Clinical Trials Arena.
