U.S. regulators approve Wegovy pill for weight loss

"U.S. regulators on Monday gave the green light to a pill version of the blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy, the first daily oral medication to treat obesity. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval handed drugmaker Novo Nordisk an edge over rival Eli Lilly in the race to market an obesity pill. Lilly's oral drug, orforglipron, is still under review. Both pills are GLP-1 drugs that work like widely used injectables to mimic a natural hormone that controls appetite and feelings of fullness."

"In recent years, Novo Nordisk's injectable Wegovy and Lilly's Zepbound have revolutionized obesity treatment globally and in the U.S., where 100 million people have the chronic disease. The Wegovy pills are expected to be available within weeks, company officials said. Availability of oral pills to treat obesity could expand the booming market for obesity treatments by broadening access and reducing costs, experts said. About 1 in 8 Americans have used injectable GLP-1 drugs, according to a survey from KFF, a nonprofit health policy research group."

""There's an entire demographic that can benefit from the pills," said Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, a Massachusetts General Hospital obesity expert. "For me, it's not just about who gets it across the finish line first. It's about having these options available to patients." The Novo Nordisk obesity pill contains 25 milligrams of semaglutide. That's the same ingredient in injectables Wegovy and Ozempic and in Rybelsus, a lower-dose pill approved to treat diabetes in 2019."

The FDA approved an oral Wegovy pill, making it the first daily oral medication for obesity and giving Novo Nordisk an edge over Eli Lilly, whose oral GLP-1 drug remains under review. Both oral candidates are GLP-1 agents that mimic a hormone regulating appetite and fullness. Injectable Wegovy and Zepbound have already changed obesity treatment worldwide and in the U.S., where about 100 million people have obesity. The Wegovy pill contains 25 mg semaglutide and showed average weight loss of 13.6% over about 15 months versus 2.2% for placebo. Oral availability could broaden access and lower costs.

Read at www.npr.org