Listen to this articleThe basics:
- FDA-approved Wegovy becomes the first oral GLP-1 for weight loss
- Starting 1.5 mg dose available at 70,000 US pharmacies
- Cash-pay prices begin at $149 per month; higher doses priced up to $299
- Approval also covers reduced risk of major cardiovascular events
Two weeks after securing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a once-daily pill version of Novo Nordisk‘s popular GLP-1 weight loss drug Wegovy officially hit the market.
In a Jan. 5 press release, the Danish drugmaker said the starting dose of 1.5 milligrams is now broadly available through 70,000 U.S. pharmacies, like CVS and Costco, and select telehealth providers, including Ro, Weight Watchers, GoodRx and NovoCare. Novo Nordisk has its U.S. headquarters in Plainsboro.
Higher, remaining doses of the drug (4 milligrams, 9 milligrams and 25 milligrams) will be available to patients by the end of the week, according to Novo Nordisk.
Cash-paying patients can pay $149 per month for the 1.5-milligram dose. The 4-milligram dose will cost $149 per month through April 15, then $199 per month after that, while the 9-milligram and 25-milligram doses will be $299 per month, the company said.
Patients with insurance coverage for the drug can pay as little as $25 per month for the treatment, according to Novo Nordisk.
Additionally, under a deal announced in November 2025 with the White House, self-pay patients as well as Medicare and Medicaid enrollees will be able to access the starting dose of the pill for $149 per month via President Donald Trump’s direct-to-consumer website TrumpRx. The site is slated to come online in January, though it’s unclear when.
A losing situation
The launch follows the FDA’s Dec. 22 decision to authorize Wegovy as the first-ever oral GLP-1 for weight loss.
According to Novo Nordisk, the approval also clears the pill for use to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events, such as death, heart attack, or stroke in adults with obesity and established cardiovascular disease.
A semaglutide-based drug, Wegovy was first approved in June 2021 specifically for chronic weight management in individuals who are obese or overweight with at least one weight-related condition, such as high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol. Administered through injector pens in once-weekly dosing, Novo Nordisk says patients should pair the drug with diet and exercise changes to lose weight and keep it off.
Compared with injectables, oral medications are cheaper to manufacture and generally easier for patients to administer. As a result, pharmaceutical companies are racing to bring weight loss pills to the GLP-1 space, which is expected to be worth $100 billion by the 2030s, CNBC noted.
Eli Lilly recently said it anticipates its candidate to secure FDA approval in 2026. Roche and AstraZeneca are also trying to develop oral GLP-1s for weight loss.
Novo Nordisk already has one GLP-1 available in pill form under the name Rybelsus. The FDA authorized that drug in 2019 for blood sugar control in adults with diabetes.
Seeing results
Novo Nordisk said U.S. regulators based its Wegovy approval on results from a Phase 3 trial of more than 300 adults with obesity.
During the 64-week study, patients who took the highest dose of the Wegovy pill along with reduced calorie diets and exercise lost 16.6% of their body weight compared with 2.2% in the placebo group.
Costs for cash-paying patients
- 1.5 mg: $149/month
- 4 mg: $149/month through April 15; $199/month after that
- 9 mg and 25 mg: $299/month
- Patients with insurance coverage for the drug can pay as little as $25 per month for the treatment.
According to Novo Nordisk, patients who take Wegovy tablets must wait 30 minutes before eating or drinking each day.
Clinical trials have shown similar weight loss results between the oral version and injectables. Patients also experienced similar side effects as those on injectables, including gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, diarrhea and vomiting, the company said.
The ‘wait is over’
In a statement, Novo Nordisk Senior Vice President of Marketing & Patient Solutions Ed Cinca said, “We know there are people who are interested in addressing their weight but have been waiting on the sidelines for a medicine that was right for them. For many of them, that wait is over as we can now offer the powerful efficacy of Wegovy in a once-daily pill that demonstrated about 17% weight loss, if all patients stayed on treatment.”
“Wegovy pill is here, and it represents a significant innovation as the first and only GLP-1 pill for weight loss. This moment is about changing what’s possible in weight management, and to make that possible, we have worked to ensure Wegovy pill is affordable and accessible to those who need it, however they choose to receive their care,” he said.
Wegovy pill is here, and it represents a significant innovation as the first and only GLP-1 pill for weight loss.
– Ed Cinca, Novo Nordisk SVP of marketing & patient solutions
Within the U.S., injectables from Novo Nordisk and its rival Eli Lilly carry a list price of roughly $1,000 per month. However, both companies offer lower cash-pay prices for their shots that range from $299 to $499 monthly, depending on the dose.
Following repeated shortages of the semaglutide injections in recent years due to demand, Novo Nordisk said its confident that it can meet consumer needs after building up supplies to meet similar challenges, Reuters reported.
