Novo Nordisk Begins Selling Wegovy Pill in the United States

Monthly Price Ranges from 215,000 to 430,000 KRW Depending on Dosage

Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk has begun selling its obesity treatment pill, Wegovy, in the United States.

Reuters Yonhap News

According to U.S. business media outlets such as CNBC, Novo Nordisk announced on January 5 (local time) that it would launch the Wegovy pill in the United States. This comes just two weeks after receiving approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The price ranges from $149 (approximately 215,000 KRW) to $299 (approximately 432,000 KRW) per month, depending on the dosage. Both the low-dose 1.5mg and 4mg versions are priced at $149 per month, with the price of the 4mg product scheduled to increase after mid-April. The higher-dose products, 9mg and 25mg, which will be released additionally, are both set at $299 per month. CNBC reported that the sale price of the Wegovy pill is among the lowest in the market.

The low-dose Wegovy pill can also be purchased through the Trump administration’s website, TrumpRx, which is expected to launch this month.

Previously, in November last year, the Trump administration announced that it had reached an agreement with Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly to lower the prices of obesity treatments in the United States. At the time, President Trump stated, “Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have agreed to provide obesity treatments to American patients based on the ‘most-favored-nation’ standard.”

GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) class obesity treatments such as Wegovy and Zepbound have so far only been available in injectable form, which posed significant inconvenience for patients. With the launch of the Wegovy pill, there is speculation that Novo Nordisk could gain a significant advantage in the market for oral GLP-1 obesity treatments. Competitor Eli Lilly is also preparing to launch its oral obesity drug, Orforglipron, which still requires FDA approval.