The Wegovy pill-which has been in clinical trials for over two years and was approved by the FDA on December 22-is the first and only oral GLP-1 for weight loss in adults available in the U.S. According to a press release from Novo Nordisk, the pill hit the market on January 5 at more than 70,000 U.S. pharmacies and several popular telehealth providers. Per a KFF health tracking poll released in November, one in eight Americans were already taking a GLP-1 for weight-loss.
This recently acquired knowledge is due to the fact that Williams was announced as the new "celebrity patient ambassador" for direct-to-consumer telehealth company Ro on Aug. 21. The goal of this multiyear campaign is to "destigmatize weight loss medication," Saman Rahmanian, co-founder and chief product officer at Ro, told Healthcare Brew. Williams was a patient first and then wanted to share her story with others, he added.
