No injections needed! FDA approves THIS ‘once-daily’ oral weight loss pill – All you need to know
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "No injections needed! FDA approves THIS ‘once-daily’ oral weight loss pill – All you need to know")
Representative image. Photograph: (Unsplash)
According to Novo Nordisk, the Wegovy pills are expected to be available within weeks. The availability of oral pills could also expand the market for weight loss treatments and reduce costs.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday (Dec 22) approved the first daily pill version of Novo Nordisk’s popular weight loss drug Wegovy, revolutionising the way to treat obesity. The move has also given the drugmaker an edge over its rival Eli Lilly, whose oral drug orforglipron, is still under review. The GLP-1 drug uses the same active ingredient, semaglutide, that powers Wegovy and its sister drug Ozempic, which is used for diabetes.
Both Wegovy and Ozempic are widely used as injections. The drug mimics a natural hormone that controls appetite and feelings of fullness. While the FDA had already approved a pill to be used for treating diabetes, the approval of the weight loss drug will allow doctors to prescribe the pill to patients with obesity or those who are overweight with at least one weight-related comorbidity, such as a heart condition, the company said.
“With today’s approval of the Wegovy pill, patients will have a convenient, once-daily pill that can help them lose as much weight as the original Wegovy injection,” Mike Doustdar, president and CEO of Novo Nordisk, said in a statement.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 40 per cent of American adults have a prevalence of obesity. The new development was lauded by the US Obesity Care Advocacy Network (OCAN), a nonprofit advocacy group for adults with obesity.
“This development represents an important opportunity for people living with obesity, offering an alternative for those hesitant to begin injectable therapy and providing a potentially lower-cost option,” the group said in a statement to AFP.
According to Novo Nordisk, the Wegovy pills are expected to be available within weeks. The availability of oral pills could also expand the market for weight loss treatments and reduce costs, CBS reported, citing experts.
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During a clinical trial, the oral Wegovy resulted in a weight loss of 13.6 per cent of the total body weight of participants in about 15 months, which is nearly the same as injectable Wegovy, with an average weight loss of about 15 per cent.
