The headlines we expect in 2026

Our World Chemical Outlook promises a busy year for the global chemical enterprise. But which discoveries, policy deliberations, and divestments are most likely to make it into the daily headlines? Here we attempt to guess what the topics might be and why. Like a game of bingo, we kept going until we had five. And because journalists can’t resist a good query, we identify the questions that need to be answered beneath each headline. GLP-1s, the next chapter. Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) drugs are set to revolutionize medicine beyond diabetes and weight loss. The medical research community is sure to look at the implications of mainstreaming these drugs and the consequences of quitting them. The first GLP-1 agonists coming off patent means production is set to grow, particularly in India. New companies working in the space continue to launch, and semaglutide’s developer, Novo Nordisk, has refocused its R&D pipeline. The question: How will this activity change the upstream agenda on new drug discovery? Faltering of empires of science. The deterioration of Europe’s chemical industry will finally prompt government action. And the US will find itself beset with its own challenges as worries over research funding and a worsening brain drain continue. The questions this obviously raises are who will emerge as scientific powerhouses on hot research areas, where industry will settle, and how science will navigate the geopolitical landscape to come.Greener energy for diplomacy. Oil and petrochemicals will be used abundantly for the foreseeable future. Geopolitical events like the US