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The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the first-ever pill version of Wegovy, Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster weight-loss drug, marking a significant shift in how obesity treatments could be taken. Until now, Wegovy has been available only as a weekly injection, while similar drugs such as Ozempic were originally approved to treat type 2 diabetes before gaining attention for weight loss.
Novo Nordisk says the once-daily pill offers the same effectiveness as the injectable form but in a more convenient format. In company-run clinical trials involving around 1,300 participants, people taking the pill lost an average of 16.6% of their body weight. About one in three participants achieved weight loss of 20% or more, results that place the pill among the most effective non-surgical weight-loss treatments available.
The pill is expected to launch in the US in early 2026 and could significantly broaden access to GLP-1–based weight-loss drugs, which many patients find difficult or inconvenient to inject. The approval also comes at a critical time for Novo Nordisk, which has faced growing competition from rivals such as Eli Lilly and pressure on its share price.
Investors responded positively to the news, with Novo Nordisk shares jumping nearly 10% in after-hours trading. The FDA’s decision signals a new phase for obesity medicine, potentially normalising daily pills as an alternative to injections in the fast-growing weight-loss drug market.
