In a presentation at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting in Milan, Novo Nordisk shared data from a 194‑patient, real‑world study that examined outcomes after participants moved from injectable obesity therapies to the daily Wegovy pill, which contains oral semaglutide.
Weight‑loss results
Over a three‑month period, study participants lost an average of 4.1% of their body weight. That translates to roughly 4.0 kilograms (8.8 pounds) from a baseline average weight of 221.6 pounds (100.5 kilograms). The proportion of participants classified as clinically obese dropped from 87.1% to 65.5%, and nearly 41% of the group shed at least 5% of their body weight.
Company response
Martin Holst Lange, Novo Nordisk’s Chief Scientific Officer, said the findings address common questions about patient compliance and preference for the pill form. “Clearly, a lot of patients do even better on the pill than they did on the (injectable) drugs, and I think that is strong data,” he told Reuters.
Market context
Since launching injectable Wegovy in 2021, Novo Nordisk has become Europe’s most valuable listed company, though its share price has fallen more than 70% from its peak as Eli Lilly’s Zepbound gained market share. Oral obesity therapies now represent about one‑third of U.S. obesity prescriptions, and Novo Nordisk reports that it holds more than 80% of new oral prescriptions.
CEO Mike Doustdar told Reuters that weight‑loss pills could eventually capture up to half of the global obesity‑drug market, which analysts estimate may be worth $100 billion annually by the end of the decade.
Study limitations
The study was conducted in collaboration with U.S. telehealth provider Ro. While real‑world data reflect everyday clinical practice, the findings rely partly on patient self‑reporting and cannot establish direct causality in the same way randomized controlled trials can.
Regulatory and rollout status
The Wegovy pill has already launched in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United Arab Emirates, with additional markets slated for rollout in the coming quarters.
These results add to a growing body of evidence that oral semaglutide can be an effective tool for individuals seeking to manage obesity, offering a convenient alternative to weekly injections.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
