(LOOTPRESS) – A pill version of the popular weight-loss drug Wegovy is now available in the United States, marking the first time American patients have access to an oral GLP-1 medication specifically approved to treat obesity.
Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk announced Monday that the daily pill — a new formulation of its blockbuster drug — is now on the market. The company said the starting 1.5-milligram dose will cost $149 per month for patients paying out of pocket. A higher 4-milligram dose is being offered at the same price through April 15, after which the monthly cost will increase to $199.
Ed Cinca, senior vice president of marketing and patient solutions at Novo Nordisk, called the launch a “significant innovation,” describing the product as the “first and only GLP-1 pill for weight loss.”
The Food and Drug Administration approved the oral version of Wegovy in December. A competing obesity pill from Eli Lilly, known as orforglipron, is still under FDA review.
The Wegovy pill contains 25 milligrams of semaglutide, the same active ingredient used in the company’s injectable drugs Wegovy and Ozempic. Novo Nordisk said patients can expect similar side effects to the injectable version, including nausea and diarrhea.
The pill offers a new alternative for patients who prefer not to use injections, which have dominated the fast-growing weight-loss drug market in recent years. A recent survey from the nonprofit KFF found that roughly one in eight Americans has used an injectable GLP-1 drug for weight loss or another medical condition.
Like the injectable Wegovy, the pill is intended to be used alongside diet and exercise. According to Novo Nordisk, participants in phase 3 clinical trials who took the oral medication lost an average of about 14% of their body weight, while patients who remained on treatment saw weight loss of about 17%.
The company said it expects demand for the new pill to be strong as more Americans seek convenient treatment options for obesity.
