FDA Approves Pill Version of Wegovy

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

“This allows obese patients who want to lose weight to choose between a weekly injection or a daily pill,” says Martin Holst-Lange, chief scientific officer at Novo Nordisk.

As injectable GLP-1 weight-loss drugs grow in popularity, Novo Nordisk and other pharmaceutical companies are racing to make effective versions of the pill that could be preferable to some patients. These medications mimic a natural hormone in the body that acts on the brain and intestines to promote feelings 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 over 64 weeks. Nearly 30 percent of people lost 20 percent or more of their weight. The study also showed improved cardiovascular disease risk and physical activity levels similar to the injectable version.

While pills can sometimes be a more convenient option, patients may not always take them as prescribed, making them less effective. Clinical trial researchers 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 the results seen with the injectable Wegovy.

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

“The effectiveness of obesity pills at the end of the day is dose-dependent,” says Lange. “Higher doses are needed to achieve the full weight loss potential of obesity.” The Wegovy pill is 25 milligrams while the Rybelsus pill 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 initial dose of the pill, 1.5 milligrams, will be available in early January for $149 per month with savings offers. The drug is already being produced at Novo Nordisk’s manufacturing sites in the United States, and the company expects to have enough of the drug to meet American demand.