Novo Nordisk debuts Wegovy weight-loss pill in the U.S.

A pill form of weight-loss drug Wegovy, manufactured by Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk, is now available in the U.S., giving Americans access to an oral medication to treat obesity.

The starting dose of the daily Wegovy pill, at 1.5 milligrams, is now available for $149 per month for self-paying patients, Novo Nordisk announced on Monday. A 4 mg dose of the medication is available for the same price through April 15, after which the cost will rise to $199.

Ed Cinca, senior vice president of marketing and patient solutions at Novo Nordisk, said in a statement that the new drug represents a “significant innovation,” describing it as the “first and only” GLP-1 pill for weight loss. 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the pill version of Wegovy in December. Competitor Eli Lilly’s obesity pill, orforglipron, is still being reviewed by the FDA.

The Novo Nordisk pill contains 25 milligrams of semaglutide, the same ingredient in injectables Wegovy and Ozempic. It also has similar side effects as the injectable version of the medication, including nausea and diarrhea, according to Novo Nordisk. 

The new Wegovy pill provides Americans an alternative, and more convenient, option than injectable treatments, which have dominated the weight-loss market since they were introduced. Roughly 1 in 8 Americans has used an injectable GLP-1 drug for weight loss or another condition, according to a recent survey from nonprofit group KFF. 

Like the injectable version of Wegovy, the pill is intended to help patients shed body weight when coupled with diet and exercise. Novo Nordisk said that people who used the oral medication during phase 3 of clinical trials lost about 14% of their body weight, while those who stayed on the treatment lost about 17%.