FDA approves pill version of Wegovy

American food and the Drug Administration today approved a pill version of the blockbuster 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 medications contain the same active ingredient, semaglutide.

“This allows obese patients who want to lose weight to have the choice between a weekly injection or a daily tablet,” explains Martin Holst Lange, scientific director of Novo Nordisk.

With the growing popularity of injectables GLP-1 weight loss drugs, Novo Nordisk and other pharmaceutical companies have been racing to create effective pill versions this might be preferable for some patients. These medications mimic a hormone naturally found in the body that acts on the brain and intestines to promote a feeling of fullness.

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 in 64 weeks. Nearly 30 percent of people lost 20 percent or more of their weight. The study also showed improvements in cardiovascular disease risk and physical activity levels similar to the injectable version.

Although pills can sometimes be a more convenient option, patients don’t always take them as prescribed, making them less effective. Clinical trial investigators estimated 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 results seen with injectable Wegovy.

Novo Nordisk first won approval for an oral semaglutide, sold under the brand name Rybelsus, in 2019 to treat type 2 diabetes. The drug has never been approved for treating 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 the obesity pill ultimately depends on the dose. Higher doses are needed to achieve the full weight loss potential in obesity,” says Lange. The Wegovy pill contains 25 milligrams while Rybelsus contains 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 pill’s starting dose, 1.5 milligrams, will be available in early January for $149 per month with savings offers. Production of the drug is already underway at Novo Nordisk’s U.S. manufacturing sites, and the company hopes to have enough available to meet U.S. demand.