FDA approves pill version of Wegovy

American food and the Drug Administration today approved a pill version of the hit anti-obesity drug Wegovy. Manufactured by Novo Nordisk, the pill is taken once a day. The company’s original version of Wegovy is a weekly injection. Both drugs contain the same active ingredient, semaglutide.

« This allows obese patients who want to lose weight to have a choice between a once-a-week injection or a daily tablet, » says Martin Holst Lange, chief scientific officer at Novo Nordisk.

With injectable GLP-1 weight-loss drugs growing in popularity, Novo Nordisk and other drug companies are racing to create effective versions of the pill that might be preferred by some patients. These drugs mimic a natural hormone in the body that acts on the brain and gut to promote feelings of satiety.

In clinical trial results published in the New England Journal of Medicine, participants who took the pill achieved an average weight loss of 13.6 percent through 64 weeks. Nearly 30% of people lost 20% or more of their weight. The study also showed improvements in cardiovascular disease risk and physical activity levels similar to the injectable version.

While pills can sometimes be a more convenient option, patients don’t always take them as prescribed, making them less effective. The clinical trial researchers calculated that in an ideal scenario where participants took the pill every day as prescribed, weight loss would be 16.6 percent—which is similar to the results seen with the injectable Wegovy.

Novo Nordisk first won approval for oral semaglutide, sold under the brand name Rybelsus, in 2019 to treat type 2 diabetes. This drug has never been approved for obesity and is not as effective for weight loss as newer GLP-1 drugs. The Wegovy pill is essentially a higher dose version of Rybselsus.

« The effectiveness of an obesity pill at the end of the day is determined by the dose. Higher doses are needed to achieve the full potential for obesity weight loss, » says Lange. The Wegovy pill is 25 milligrams, while Rybelsus is 14 milligrams.

The most common side effects of oral Wegovy include nausea and vomiting, which are also side effects of the injectable version.

Novo says the starting dose of the pill, 1.5 milligrams, will be available in early January for $149 a month with savings offers. Production of the drug is already underway at Novo Nordisk’s U.S. manufacturing facilities, and the company expects to have enough of the drug to meet U.S. demand.