Top Ten Most Anticipated Drug Launches of 2026 That Will Reshape the Global Market

Experts from Evaluate forecast a record year for the global pharmaceutical industry. It is expected that the top 10 new drugs launching in 2026 will generate a staggering $45.9 billion in annual sales by 2032 (analysts traditionally take a 5–6 year horizon — the time needed for a new drug to reach its peak commercial success). This is a massive jump compared to the $29 billion for last year’s top ten.

Notably, the main financial driver is the fight against obesity and type 2 diabetes. The combined projected sales of just the first two drugs on the list equal the figures for the entire top 10 of 2025. The remaining positions are occupied by innovative treatments for cancer, autoimmune diseases, and rare pathologies, developed by both pharma giants (J&J, AstraZeneca) and promising biotechs.

Below is a detailed overview of the ten most anticipated premieres of 2026.

1. CagriSema (Novo Nordisk)

• Application: Obesity and type 2 diabetes.
• Peak sales forecast (by 2032): $17.2 billion.
• The undisputed leader of the ranking, whose potential is more than double the figures of last year’s leader. The drug is a once-weekly injection that combines 2.4 mg of semaglutide (the active ingredient in blockbusters Wegovy and Ozempic) and the experimental drug cagrilintide (a long-acting amylin analogue). Novo Nordisk submitted an application to the FDA late last year, expecting approval for the treatment of overweight patients with type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, and cardiovascular diseases. In clinical trials, patients on CagriSema achieved an average weight loss of 22.7%. The company hopes for approval and launch of the drug by the end of this year.

2. Orforglipron (Eli Lilly)

• Application: Obesity and type 2 diabetes.
• Peak sales forecast (by 2032): $11.8 billion.
• This drug opens the “second round” of the battle for the obesity drug market. Orforglipron is an oral GLP-1 receptor agonist (in pill form), which, unlike the peptide Wegovy, is a small molecule. This makes its production significantly cheaper and easier to scale, which is critical for meeting demand in heavily populated countries (India, China, Brazil). FDA approval is expected in the second quarter of 2026. The drug is particularly promising for patients avoiding injections, as well as for weight maintenance after injection therapy.

3. Anito-cel (Gilead Sciences / Arcellx)

• Application: Multiple myeloma (blood cancer).
• Peak sales forecast (by 2032): $2.5 billion.
• The CAR-T cell therapy anito-cel is preparing to fiercely compete with J&J’s current blockbuster Carvykti. Brilliant data were presented at a recent hematology conference: the complete response rate was 74%, and overall survival was 88% at 18 months in patients who had previously undergone at least three lines of therapy. The drug’s launch in the US is scheduled for the second half of this year.

4. Brepocitinib (Roivant Sciences)

• Application: Dermatomyositis (a rare autoimmune disease).
• Peak sales forecast (by 2032): $2.3 billion.
• Roivant acquired the rights to this TYK2/JAK1 inhibitor from Pfizer and bet on the treatment of orphan diseases. In the fall, the company reported successful phase 3 results: the drug outperformed a placebo across multiple metrics in the treatment of dermatomyositis. Experts call these results best-in-class, expecting brepocitinib to become the standard for second-line therapy, replacing poorly accessible off-label treatments.

5. Icotrokinra / Icotyde (Johnson & Johnson / Protagonist)

• Application: Autoimmune diseases (plaque psoriasis).
• Peak sales forecast (by 2032): $2.2 billion.
• Icotrokinra (commercial name Icotyde) is the first targeted oral peptide blocking the interleukin-23 (IL-23) receptor. J&J aims to displace the market leader in psoriasis pills, Sotyktu from Bristol Myers Squibb. In four phase 3 studies, the drug proved its efficacy and outperformed Sotyktu in a head-to-head comparative trial. In the future, J&J plans to expand the drug’s application to the treatment of psoriatic arthritis and inflammatory bowel diseases.

6. Gedatolisib (Celcuity)

• Application: Breast cancer.
• Peak sales forecast (by 2032): $2.1 billion.
• Celcuity acquired this pan-PI3K/mTOR inhibitor from Pfizer for $5 million in cash and $5 million in stock and brought it to the status of a future blockbuster. During phase 3 trials, the drug (in combination with Faslodex) significantly increased progression-free survival in patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. An FDA decision is expected this year, and the company is already preparing for an independent commercial launch in the US.

7. Ulixacaltamide (Praxis Precision Medicines)

• Application: Essential tremor.
• Peak sales forecast (by 2032): $2.1 billion.
• In the US, about 10 million people suffer from essential tremor, but currently, only one drug is approved (propranolol), which is unsuitable for many. Ulixacaltamide is a T-type calcium channel blocker designed to suppress the abnormal neural bursts that cause tremors. Despite a setback in phase 2, the company refined the trial design and achieved success in two phase 3 studies, after which its shares soared by more than 220%, and the FDA granted the drug breakthrough therapy designation. An FDA application will be submitted in mid-February.

8. Baxdrostat (AstraZeneca)

• Application: Arterial hypertension.
• Peak sales forecast (by 2032): $2.0 billion.
• AstraZeneca acquired CinCor Pharma for $1.8 billion for this aldosterone synthase inhibitor designed to treat uncontrolled hypertension. The application has already been accepted by the FDA for priority review, and a decision is expected in the second quarter. AstraZeneca is preparing to leverage its massive commercial machine to bypass its only direct competitor — Mineralys Therapeutics.

9. Camizestrant (AstraZeneca)

• Application: HR-positive breast cancer.
• Peak sales forecast (by 2032): $2.0 billion.
• Another hit from AstraZeneca is a next-generation oral selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD). In studies, patients who were switched to camizestrant upon the appearance of an ESR1 mutation showed a median progression-free survival of 16 months (versus 9.2 months on standard therapy) and a significant delay in the deterioration of quality of life. AstraZeneca is confident that the drug will become the “new backbone” of endocrine therapy for breast cancer.

10. Atacicept (Vera Therapeutics)

• Application: IgA nephropathy (kidney disease).
• Peak sales forecast (by 2032): $1.7 billion.
• Atacicept is a fusion protein that inhibits APRIL and BAFF. It enters fierce competition with the recently approved drug Voyxact from Otsuka and the upcoming treatment from Vertex. Atacicept is expected to hit the US market in July (a PDUFA date has been set). Experts cite its low immunogenicity as one of its main trump cards: in earlier studies, anti-drug antibodies developed in only 2.1% of patients, whereas this figure is significantly higher for competitors. Analysts predict that all three competitors will eventually split the market at about 30% each.

Source: Fierce Pharma