This Week’s Top 5: Eli Lilly's GLP-1, Novo Nordisk and P&G

1. First in Europe: UK Approves Eli Lilly’s Weight Loss Pill

The UK has become the first country in Europe to approve orforglipron, an oral GLP-1 medicine developed by Eli Lilly for weight management and type 2 diabetes. 

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) authorised the treatment on 10 August 2026 following an assessment of its safety, quality and effectiveness. 

The once-daily tablet offers an alternative to injectable GLP-1 medicines, with no food or water restrictions when taken. 

Marketed as Foundayo, orforglipron is authorised for weight loss and weight maintenance in adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or those with a BMI between 27 and 30 alongside at least one weight-related comorbidity.

2. Bristol Myers Squibb’s US$2.3bn Texas Manufacturing Campus

Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) is deepening its commitment to US biopharmaceutical manufacturing with a US$2.3bn "multi-modal manufacturing campus" in Houston, Texas.

The announcement marks a milestone step in its US$40bn plan to invest in US research and development, technology and domestic manufacturing over five years. 

"This investment reflects our confidence in America's continued leadership in biopharmaceutical innovation,” says Christopher Boerner, Board Chair and CEO of BMS. 

“As part of our US$40bn commitment to the United States, we're building the domestic manufacturing capabilities needed to deliver the next generation of medicines and support future scientific breakthroughs. Houston and the state of Texas offer the talent, infrastructure, and partnership needed to help bring that vision to life."

3. Novo Nordisk Appoints Omnicom For GLP-1 Medication Awareness

Novo Nordisk has appointed Omnicom as agency of record for its US media account.

The pharmaceutical manufacturer ended its partnership with WPP, which had held the media buying contract since 2020.

The change comes as Novo Nordisk scales its consumer engagement for GLP-1 treatments Ozempic and Wegovy.

Liz Skrbkova, Head of US Media and Stakeholder Relations for Novo Nordisk, shared with Fierce Pharma Marketing that the company looks forward "to working with the Omnicom team as we continue to scale consumer-focused strategies and connect with patients through emerging channels and technologies, helping bring even greater awareness of our medicines to people living with chronic conditions such as obesity and diabetes".

4. Novo Nordisk and AWS Partner on “AI Co-Innovation Hub”

A strategic partnership between Novo Nordisk and Amazon Web Services (AWS) aims to expedite drug discovery and modernise Novo Nordisk’s operations through agentic AI and cloud technologies. 

Central to the partnership is a “co-innovation hub” in London, where engineers, AI specialists, R&D teams and scientists from both firms will leverage AWS AI technologies alongside Novo Nordisk’s data and insights to shorten the timeline from initial drug target to first human dose.

“Partnering with AWS is about making AI a driver of innovation across Novo Nordisk,” says Mike Doustdar, President and CEO of Novo Nordisk.

“By combining our scientific expertise with AWS’ tools and purpose-built services for the life sciences industry, while also creating a dedicated co-innovation hub within our existing facility in London, we are accelerating discovery and developing responsible AI solutions that will create real progress for people living with serious chronic diseases.” 

5. P&G’s Wellness Focus Grows Following US$3.8bn Thorne Deal

Global consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble (P&G) is expanding its Health Care portfolio following its US$3.8bn acquisition of Thorne, as the company looks to tap into rising consumer interest in self-care, preventive health and personalised wellness. 

P&G’s Health Care portfolio has evolved from a traditional consumer healthcare business centred on oral care and OTC medicines into a broader health and wellness platform. 

The global consumer health market exceeds an estimated US$375bn in retail sales, with P&G well-positioned to maintain its strong presence in the sector.

Household brands already within its Health Care portfolio include Vicks, Crest, Oral-B, Metamucil, Pepto-Bismol, Fixodent, and Neurobion, alongside supplement brands Align Probiotic and New Chapter.

Writing on LinkedIn, Paul Gama, CEO of P&G Health Care, says, “This is…an amazing brand with a wonderful health practitioner heritage. It's science-backed, quality-driven. I am really looking forward to working with this [the Thorne] team.”