Where Does Boehringer Ingelheim Stand Between Oral or Injectable GLP-1’s Being The Future of Obesity Care?

Brian Hilberdink, president of U.S. Human Pharma, Boehringer Ingelheim, addresses the debate over whether the future of GLP-1–based obesity treatment lies in injectable or oral formulations, and how his company thinks about preference, adherence, and access.

Hilberdink first stresses that, as with other chronic diseases like diabetes, the field needs multiple treatments with different mechanisms of action and delivery options. He notes that the move from once-daily to once-weekly injectables represented a major advance for patients, and he situates Survodutide, an investigational agent his company plans to bring to market, within this once-weekly injectable paradigm.

However, Hilberdink does not view the injection itself as the primary barrier to effective care. While he acknowledges that oral agents are a useful option for some patients, he argues that access to treatment is the more fundamental challenge. He points out that many patients currently remain on therapy for only about six months before cycling off and often switching to another treatment, creating a pattern of weight loss, regain, and repeated attempts.

The central question remains whether patients can reach and sustain a healthier weight in a way that supports comprehensive metabolic health, rather than whether the drug is delivered orally or by injection. Hilberdink believes adherence will ultimately depend on whether therapies help patients meet their broader health goals, which he again defines as extending beyond pounds on the scale to include sustained improvements in overall metabolic status.