"I Didn't Want Injections, This Is Great" Now Lose Weight with One Pill a Day ... FDA Approves Oral Wegovy

Lilly Also Preparing Weight Loss Pill

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first oral version of Wegovy. Observers suggest that this could transform the obesity treatment market, which has so far been dominated by weekly injectable glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs.

According to Yonhap News Agency on December 23, the U.S. FDA has granted approval for the sale of the oral form of Wegovy (semaglutide 25mg, taken once daily), developed by the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk. With this, Wegovy is poised to take the lead in the oral pill segment of the GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) obesity treatment market.

On March 8, 2024, boxes of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Ozempic were displayed at a pharmacy in London, United Kingdom. Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News Agency

Semaglutide works by mimicking the gut hormone GLP-1, reducing appetite, increasing feelings of fullness, and slowing the rate at which food passes from the stomach to the intestines, thereby inducing weight loss.

The oral form of Wegovy is designed to be taken once a day and is expected to launch early next year, with a price set at $149. This is among the lowest prices for obesity treatments of this kind, attributed to the relatively low manufacturing cost of pills. Industry experts believe this move marks Novo Nordisk's attempt to regain ground in the obesity drug market, where Eli Lilly has recently taken the lead.

David Risinger, an analyst at Leerink Partners, projected that oral obesity treatments could account for about 25% of the obesity drug market, which is expected to reach $150 billion (approximately 222.15 trillion won) in the long term.

Currently, the GLP-1 obesity drug market is effectively dominated by Novo Nordisk and the U.S. pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly.

Eli Lilly is also preparing to launch an oral drug, Orforglipron, as a follow-up to its obesity treatment Zepbound, and it is expected to receive FDA approval.

Meanwhile, side effects of this class of obesity drugs include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Individuals with cardiovascular disease or underlying health conditions are advised to consult a specialist.