Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) shares slipped Tuesday as investors digested a competitive blow in the red-hot weight-loss drug market. The culprit? Novo Nordisk just scored a major regulatory win that could reshape the GLP-1 landscape.
The Oral Advantage
Novo Nordisk announced the FDA approved its pill form of Wegovy, making it the first approved oral GLP-1 for weight management. That's a big deal. The news sent Novo Nordisk's stock soaring more than 8% as investors recognized the competitive edge of offering patients a pill instead of an injection.
Eli Lilly's flagship weight-loss treatment, Zepbound, is still an injectable. The company has been working on an oral medication called orforglipron, but it hasn't received FDA approval yet. Lilly recently described orforglipron as an investigational, once-daily oral GLP-1 medication currently being studied to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity.
The timeline matters here. Eli Lilly said preliminary results for orforglipron have been positive, with additional data expected in the first quarter of 2026. The company submitted orforglipron for regulatory review for obesity treatment in 2025 and plans to submit for type 2 diabetes in 2026. That means Novo Nordisk has a meaningful head start with an approved oral option already on the market.
Market Dynamics Shifting
Demand for GLP-1 treatments is becoming structural rather than trendy. Physicians are expanding their use beyond diabetes into weight management and cardiovascular risk reduction. Novo Nordisk's U.S. approval for its oral weight-loss treatment represents a significant milestone that strengthens its market position and could impact Eli Lilly's growth strategy going forward.
What the Charts Say
Despite Tuesday's decline, Eli Lilly is trading 2.4% above its 20-day simple moving average and 25.7% above its 100-day SMA, indicating a strong longer-term trend. Over the past 12 months, shares have climbed 34.51% and remain within striking range of 52-week highs.
The RSI sits at 64.02, which is considered neutral territory—the stock isn't currently overbought or oversold. Meanwhile, the MACD is below its signal line, suggesting some bearish pressure on the stock.
Key support is at $977, while resistance is at $1,112. Traders should monitor these levels closely, as a test of either could signal the stock's next moves in this increasingly competitive environment.
LLY Price Action: Eli Lilly shares were down 0.62%, trading at $1,069.84 at the time of publication.




