Key facts
- Novo Nordisk's oral weight-loss drug Wegovy has been approved by the UK's medicine regulator.
- This approval makes the UK the first European market to offer the oral treatment.
- The drug contains semaglutide, the same active ingredient as Novo's injectable Wegovy and Ozempic.
- The US has already approved and launched Novo Nordisk's oral weight-loss pill.
- Eli Lilly also has an oral weight-loss medication, Foundayo, approved in the US.
- The obesity drug market is projected to exceed $100 billion in revenue by 2030.
Novo Nordisk has secured approval from the UK's medicine regulator for its oral weight-loss drug, Wegovy, marking the United Kingdom as the first European market to gain access to the pill. This development intensifies competition in the rapidly growing obesity drug sector, which analysts predict will generate over $100 billion in revenue by 2030.
The oral formulation of Wegovy contains semaglutide, the same active ingredient found in Novo Nordisk's blockbuster injectable drugs, Wegovy for weight loss and Ozempic for diabetes. The Danish pharmaceutical company has already received early approval and launched its oral weight-loss pill in the United States earlier this year. Its U.S. rival, Eli Lilly, followed suit with its own oral medication, Foundayo, which received regulatory clearance in April.
Drugmakers believe that an oral pill option may appeal to patients who are hesitant to use injectable therapies. In the UK, approximately 2.4 million individuals used GLP-1 drugs last year, with the majority obtaining them through private healthcare providers due to limited availability on the National Health Service (NHS). The cost for private access can run into hundreds of pounds per month.
Before Wegovy can be made available on the NHS, it must undergo assessment by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). A NICE spokesperson indicated that discussions with Novo Nordisk are ongoing, but the company must submit evidence for the agency to make a recommendation. Experts suggest that while oral GLP-1s will increase treatment options and patient choice, they are not a universal solution.