The First Tick

Second-order map

Exploratory — reasoned, hypothetical relationships for research, not investment advice.

  • LLYCatalyst

    Eli Lilly

    Q2 2026 print on Mounjaro/Zepbound plus first full-quarter read on oral GLP-1 Foundayo (orforglipron) makes oral delivery a primary competitive axis, triggering an industry-wide wave of NDA filings and formulation work

    • CERTSpotlight subject

      Certara

      Primary subject: biosimulation and model-informed regulatory science sits at the filing bottleneck; expedited pharmacometrics submission service is structurally more valuable when multiple sponsors file oral/next-gen GLP-1 formulations concurrently

      • SLP

        Simulations Plus

        Peer in PBPK/biosimulation and formulation modeling; same concurrent-filing workload tailwind could lift demand for predictive-science tools used to optimize oral absorption

      • SDGR

        Schrodinger

        If next-gen GLP-1 race shifts to novel oral small molecules, physics-based molecular design platforms become upstream beneficiaries of the formulation-optimization surge

      • MEDP

        Medpace

        CRO handling the clinical trials behind each new oral GLP-1 filing; a multi-sponsor filing wave implies more concurrent trial execution demand

      • Veeva Systems

        Regulatory submission and eCTD document-management software underpins the actual NDA filing machinery each concurrent filer must activate

    • CTLT

      Catalent

      Direct operational beneficiary: oral GLP-1 formulations shift manufacturing from injectable fill-finish toward oral solid-dose and bioavailability-enhancement CDMO work that sponsors outsource

      • Lonza Group

        Large-scale CDMO capacity; if oral GLP-1 volumes scale, outsourced API and formulation manufacturing demand broadens beyond any single sponsor

      • TMO

        Thermo Fisher Scientific

        Supplier of analytical instrumentation and lab services needed for formulation characterization and bioequivalence testing across many concurrent oral programs

      • DHR

        Danaher

        Bioprocess and analytical tools arm supports the testing and QC workload that scales with a multi-sponsor oral-formulation filing cycle

    • ICLR

      ICON plc

      Second-order beneficiary: contract research organization running the bioavailability, PK and pivotal studies required for each oral GLP-1 NDA, a workload that compounds when filings cluster

      • IQV

        IQVIA Holdings

        Combines CRO trial execution with regulatory analytics and real-world data; concurrent oral GLP-1 development broadens demand across both segments

      • CRL

        Charles River Laboratories

        Preclinical safety and ADME/tox services feed the front end of each new formulation program before it reaches the filing stage

      • A

        Agilent Technologies

        Analytical chemistry instruments for dissolution and bioequivalence testing see broader utilization as oral formulation programs multiply

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Today's crowd trade is straightforward — investors will be closely watching the sales performance of Mounjaro and Zepbound when Eli Lilly reports its second-quarter 2026 results alongside the first commercial read on Foundayo (orforglipron), which launched in April and receives its first full-quarter commercial update today. The headline machinery around Eli Lilly is loud, but the durable second-order read belongs one step removed — in the biosimulation and regulatory science infrastructure that every competing GLP-1 filer must now activate. Oral delivery, not just higher numbers, is now a primary axis of competition , which means a wave of new NDA filings and formulation optimization work is not a distant possibility but an imminent workflow burden across the industry. Certara sits precisely at that bottleneck: from molecule to market, Certara integrates science, technology, strategic and regulatory expertise, and navigates complex regulatory landscapes with AI-driven tools while reducing development risk through predictive science and model-informed strategies . Certara recently launched an expedited Pharmacometrics regulatory submission service that cuts submission timelines in half — a capability that is structurally more valuable in a race where multiple sponsors are filing oral and next-generation GLP-1 formulations concurrently than in any single-drug cycle.

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