Novo Nordisk launches Wegovy pill at $149 a month
Production of Wegovy pills.
Novo Nordisk has wasted no time in launching its oral version of the weight loss drug Wegovy in the US after its approval by the FDA, as 2025 drew to a close.
The Danish drugmaker said the drug will be available from today at prices starting from $149 per month for cash purchasers. That rate covers the 1.5 mg and 4 mg versions of the pill, with two higher doses – 9 mg and 25 mg – priced at $299 per month.
The lower price for the 4 mg dose will be temporary, however, with the cost due to rise to $199 after 15th April. The Wegovy pill is taken at a dose of 1.5 mg for the first month, 4 mg for the second, and 9 mg for a third month, followed by the recommended maintenance of 25 mg per day.
In the OASIS 4 trial that underpinned the FDA approval, a 25 mg daily dose of oral Wegovy achieved an average weight loss of 16.6%, versus 2.7% with placebo. According to Novo Nordisk, that rivals the efficacy of the once-weekly injectable version of the drug.
The oral pricing could undercut Novo Nordisk's main rival in the oral GLP-1 agonist-based weight loss category, Eli Lilly, which could hear from the FDA on its orforglipron drug within the next few weeks, after getting a double-quick review thanks to the award of a national priority voucher.
Lilly has said it plans to sell orforglipron for up to $399 per month, although, the lower doses will likely match oral Wegovy at around $150 per month. Last November, Lilly and Novo Nordisk both struck deals with the Trump administration on direct-to-consumer (DTC) prices for weight-loss medicines, saying they would be available at prices similar to those in Europe.
There are differences between oral Wegovy and orforglipron that could have a role to play in determining which of the drugs will lead the oral category. For example, Wegovy needs to be taken first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, half an hour before eating or drinking, while orforglipron does not need those restrictions.
In the meantime, being first to market with an oral GLP-1 for weight loss is a boost to Novo Nordisk, whose injectable Wegovy has come under pressure from Lilly's dual-acting GIP/GLP-1 agonist Zepbound (tirzepatide).
Novo Nordisk has said adequate supplies of the newly approved Wegovy pill will be made available, so there should be no repeat of the supply issues that previously dogged the rollout of injectable Wegovy and allowed compounding pharmacies to make their own versions of the drug available.
