Wegovi Weight Loss Pills Now Available in the US—Here’s What That Means
The first GLP-1 pills for weight loss are arriving in US pharmacies. But how will they be determined?
Jakub Porzycki/Nurfoto via Getty Images
A pill version of the blockbuster weight-loss drug Vegovy is taking off in the US, and people are already actively seeking prescriptions.
The pills are made by Novo NordiskThe company behind the injectable version of Vegovy and the injectable drug Ozempic, both of which are forms of semaglutide that are taken weekly. This pill was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of obesity just a few weeks ago. If someone was scheduled for it last Friday, “they could have it in their hands today,” a Novo Nordisk spokesperson said. scientific American.
Experts say a pill version of the high-demand drug, part of a class of drugs known broadly as glucagonlike peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, could significantly reduce access barriers. November 2025 survey by KFF Health News found that about half of people who were already taking a GLP-1 drug, including those with insurance, reported difficulty affording the drug.
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“Accessibility has been a major, major issue. And until recently, I’ve had patients who faced huge co-payments,” says Sameer Khan, MD, a hepatologist at Johns Hopkins University who treats people with liver disease and obesity. “I think this is a pretty significant step in the right direction.”
The once-a-day pill version of Wegovi causes people to lose weight in the same way as the weekly injection — by mimicking a gut hormone that makes people feel full faster and eat less. Unlike the injection, the pill is absorbed through the stomach before reaching the bloodstream, meaning the dosage must be higher to reach comparable weight loss results. Highest 25 mg dose of pill found in Novo Nordisk’s Phase 3 clinical trial This resulted in an average weight loss of 16.6 percent in 64 weeksAn earlier trial found that the highest 2.4-milligram dose of Vegovy injection led to an average weight loss up to 17.4 percent In 68 weeks.
People who have been prescribed the pills can expect their dosage to be increased. in several months To allow the body to adjust and to assess any side effects that may arise. Under the Trump administration’s drug pricing agreement, which was agreed upon last year, Novo Nordisk lists a starting dose of 1.5 mg at an out-of-pocket cost of $149 per month. For a limited time, the company is offering the second 4 mg dose for $149 per month, which will increase to $199 on April 15. Subsequent doses of 9 and 25 mg both cost $299 per month. But under some insurance plans, the pill can cost as little as $25 a month, according to a Novo Nordisk spokesperson.
The pills are easy to obtain, but they are also easy and cheap to produce, ship, and store. Wegovy Injection must be stored in the refrigerator until used; If injection pens are exposed to temperatures above 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius), they go in the trash, Khan says. Despite these features, the pills don’t cost much less than Wegovi injections – their doses cost $199 for the first two months and then $349 per month.
“The hope was that once we had oral agents, they would be less expensive than injections, because some of the justification for the higher cost of injections was the method of delivery, the pen,” says Rosalina McCoy, MD, an endocrinologist and internist at the University of Maryland. “Even though I’m not surprised, I am disappointed that oral treatment, which doesn’t cost that much, is going to have (the same) price for patients.”
McCoy is also concerned that the relative ease of accessing the pills could lead to an increase in their off-label use in people who do not have obesity.
A Novo Nordisk spokesperson said the FDA has indicated an approved use for the pills. “Body mass index requirements are not included in the Wegovi pill label, and the decision to initiate treatment is based on physician and consumer discussion and a joint agreement,” he said.
More options may soon come to market, including Zepbound maker Eli Lilly’s anticipated oral GLP-1 orforgliprone, and should help further reduce the overall cost of drugs.
“I am hopeful that some competition in this market will potentially help adjust these prices further,” says Khan, “but I think only time will tell.”
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