The FDA has approved the first GLP-1 drug in pill form.
With this approval, the pill, once-daily Wegovy made by Novo Nordisk, has beat its closest competitor in the GLP-1 business, Eli Lilly. However, it’s still too early to tell how the pill version of Wegovy will augment the company’s financial outlook.
Drugs such as Wegovy, Ozempic, and others fall into a class of drugs that have helped people struggling with their weight loss goals see significant progress.
Novo Nordisk and some doctors believe that the Wegovy pill will be a groundbreaker for the treatment of obesity by offering a a choice that is less costly to manufacture, doesn’t need to be refrigerated and is a good alternative for patients who do not like taking injectable medications.
“The FDA approval of Wegovy pill — the first oral GLP-1 for adults with obesity and overweight with weight-related medical problems — has the potential to impact millions of Americans,” said Dave Moore, executive vice president of Novo Nordisk Inc.’s U.S. operations. “People count on us for more than breakthrough medicines; they need better ways to access them. We will not let them down.”
A 64-week clinical trial with more than 300 participants found that oral Wegovy facilitated a loss of almost 17% of their body weight for those who completed the study. These results are similar to those of the injectable once-weekly Wegovy. The trial also revealed that the side effects of taking the pill are similar to those of the injectable, which include gastrointestinal issues such as vomiting, nausea and diarrhea.
Wegovy has also been approved to treat other conditions.
Both Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have constructed an agreement with the Trump administration to sell the pills through direct-to-consumer channels, including TrumpRx. Novo Nordisk has said that the new pill will start at around $149 per month without insurance, but with insurance, the co-pay for the pill could be $25 or less.
Eli Lilly is working on its own GLP-1 pill called orforglipron and is expected to gain FDA approval as well.
