Europe Anti-obesity Drugs Market

Europe Anti-Obesity Drugs Market Size

The anti-obesity drugs market size in Europe was valued at USD 1.45 billion in 2024. The European market is estimated to be worth USD 8.64 billion by 2033 from USD 1.77 billion in 2025, growing at a CAGR of 21.93% from 2025 to 2033.

MARKET DRIVERS

Rising Prevalence of Obesity

The increasing prevalence of obesity is prompting the growth of the European anti-obesity drugs market. Obesity and overweight are the most common conditions occurring widely among people. Obesity leads to various chronic disease conditions which severely affect the patient's daily routine. Obesity leads to chronic conditions such as insulin resistance, hypertension, sleep cycle disturbances, arthritis, and certain cancer types. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 650,000 obesity-associated cancers occur, of which more than 200,000 are men and 450,000 are women. Breast cancer was most associated with obesity cancer in women and colorectal cancer in men. These factors are driving the market demand for anti-obesity drugs.

According to WHO, 1 billion people are obese worldwide, of which 650 million are adults, 340 million are teenagers, and 39 million are children. However, WHO predicted by 2025, approximately 167 million people would be unhealthy due to overweight and obese conditions. The rise in obesity was due to modern lifestyles and unhealthy diets. Many developed countries are campaigning and bringing awareness among people regarding obesity and further health conditions that arise due to obesity to decrease obesity cases.

Rising R&D Investments and Obesity Awareness Propel Market Growth

The growing investments to conduct Research and Development by the market participants is boosting the growth rate of the European market. The demand for weight-loss medicine has increased due to the awareness of obesity among people. Many organizations invest in research programs to develop effective anti-obesity drugs with minimal adverse effects. Medicinal professionals are prescribing anti-obesity drugs to balance chronic disease conditions. Various developments are under more effective clinical trials. Innovent Biologics Inc.'s phase 2 clinical study of mazdutide with a dose of 9 mg showed positive results in Chinese obese adults. Many European areas are accessible to obese patients. The need for new drugs in the market was more, which was influencing many key players to invest in R&D, which was propelling the market growth.

Collaborative Initiatives Supporting Awareness

The increasing awareness regarding the treatment of obesity was projected to create opportunities for market growth. Obesity was leading to chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers. Appropriate plans can avoid raising awareness in people regarding chronic disease conditions. The Global Obesity Forum, the global obesity community, and the WHO worked together on the complexity of the disease and developed approaches to address this problem. The initiatives made by the organizations were increasing awareness regarding disease conditions.

MARKET RESTAINTS

Regulatory Drug Approval Policies Hindering Market Growth

Regulatory Drug approval policies are hampering the regional market growth. The strict regulatory policies for the approval of the new anti-obesity drugs are hindering market growth, which restricts the establishment of many companies. According to the European Medicines Agency (EMA), only three drug therapies are approved, unlike the U.S. FDA, which approved five. To approve the drug's significant effect on weight loss, many regulatory bodies consider 5% total weight loss. These rigid regulations limit R&D investments and impact new product launches. Another restraining factor hampering the market growth was the side effects caused by the drugs, such as increased blood pressure and heart rate. Many researchers are working on minimizing the side effects to increase people's health conditions.

The increasing number of alternatives with minimal side effects, such as naturopathy and homeopathy, are challenging for market growth. The stringent regulations are limiting the new market launches.

REGIONAL ANALYSIS

Europe held the global market revenue in second position for the anti-obesity drugs market due to the presence of key players and increasing investments in the research and development sector. According to the WHO European Region report in 2024, overweight and obese affect nearly 60% of adults, and 7.9% are children under age five.

Germany dominated the European anti-obesity market as the primary key player; Novo Nordisk launched Wegovy, which gained a massive response in the market. The leading organizations are showing interest in investing in research and development to launch new drugs with high effectiveness. According to the United Nations, the cost related to obesity and overweight in all age groups is estimated to be worth USD 800 billion for the WHO European region by 2035. Germany was expected to dominate the market over the forecast period due to its new developments in the research sector.

France was deemed to have a prominent market share in the European regional market due to the increased number of obese patients. U.K., as a developed country, the increase in advancements in the technology of healthcare, which allows them to produce new drugs, was boosting the regional market value.

The government collaborating with the manufacturers, conducting campaigns, and educating the people regarding the disease severity and preventive measures drove the market demand in Italy and Spain countries. Increasing awareness regarding the disease and its causes and preventive measures are essential among people to reduce the risk of death

KEY MARKET PLAYERS

Merck & Co. Inc., Eisai Co. Ltd., Orexigen Therapeutics Inc., GlaxoSmithKline PLC, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Shionogi Inc., Norgine B.V., Pfizer Inc., Zafgen, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Rena Pharmaceuticals Inc., Takeda Pharmaceuticals Company Limited, Zydus Cadila, Novo Nordisk A/S and Rhythm Pharmaceuticals are a few of the notable companies in the European anti-obesity drugs market.

MARKET SEGMENTATION

This Europe anti-obesity drugs market research report is segmented and sub-segmented into the following categories.

By Drug Type

• Prescription Drugs
• OTC Drugs

By Distribution Channel

• Hospitals Pharmacies
• Retail Pharmacies
• E-commerce

By Country

• UK
• France
• Spain
• Germany
• Italy
• Russia
• Sweden
• Denmark
• Switzerland
• Netherlands
• Turkey
• Czech Republic
• Rest of Europe