The U.S. Food and Drug Administration just approved the pill form of weight-loss drug Wegovy for use in the U.S. The daily oral medication, made by Novo Nordisk, is the first of its kind used to treat obesity.
Both Novo Nordisk’s and competitor Eli Lilly’s injectable GLP-1 drugs, Wegovy and Zepbound, have helped transform obesity treatment around the world, and for the 100 million people in the U.S. impacted by the disease, according to NPR. But Eli Lilly’s oral drug orforglipron is still awaiting approval, with a decision expected by spring.
The Pill Versus Injectable Drug
All GLP-1 drugs are known to cause similar side effects, like nausea and diarrhea. Around one in eight Americans have taken the injectable kind, according to a survey from nonprofit health policy research group KFF. But for even more people in need of the medication, the shots are too expensive.
“There’s an entire demographic that can benefit from the pills,” Fatina Cody Stanford, an obesity expert at Massachusetts General Hospital, told NPR. “For me, it’s not just about who gets it across the finish line first. It’s about having these options available to patients.”
While injectable GLP-1 drugs can cost over $1,000 a month, producing pills is typically much cheaper. Novo Nordisk has said customers will pay $149 per month for the Wegovy pill starting dose, with further cost information released next month.
“It’s all about the price,” said Angela Fitch, an obesity expert and chief medical officer at knownwell, a health care company. “Just give me a drug at $100 a month that is relatively effective.”
The Trial
Chris Mertens is a pediatric lung doctor who participated in the Novo Nordisk trial starting in 2022. He told NPR he lost roughly 40 pounds using the Wegovy pill.
Ava Levinson
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