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US regulators on Monday approved a pill version of a blockbuster weight-loss drug VegsThis is the first time a daily oral drug has been given the green light to treat obesity.
This change is expected to bring even more adoption to the already widely popular GLP-1 class of drugs And helps fight chronic obesity around the world.
“We now have injection-like efficacy in a once-daily pill,” said David Moore, executive vice president of U.S. operations for Novo Nordisk, the maker of Wegovi. told wall street journal“And that’s a change from where we were in terms of obesity treatment,”
GLP-1 drugs such as WegoviWhich also comes in injectable form, mimicking a natural hormone that regulates feelings of hunger and satiety.
Food and Drug AdministrationApproval of the Wegovi pill is expected to help promote further use of such drugs, which have been put off by some because of the high cost of the injections, which can cost more than $1,000 per month, as well as issues with insurance and fear of needles.
“This is a meaningful step forward in this field,” said Dr. Christopher McGowan, a gastroenterologist who runs a weight-loss clinic in Cary, North Carolina. told NBC News. “It won’t replace injectables, but it expands our tool kit in a significant way.”
“Pills are familiar, not intimidating and fit naturally into most people’s daily routine,” he said. “For many patients, a pill is not only easier, but psychologically more acceptable.”
Last month, the Trump administration Announced an agreement with Novo Nordisk To offer starting doses of the Wegovi pill at $149 per month. Now that the drug has been approved, it is expected to hit the market in the coming weeks.
Novo Nordisk Obesity pill contains 25 mg semaglutide. The same ingredient is in injections such as Vegov and Ozempic, as well as Ribelsus, a low-dose pill approved to treat diabetes in 2019.
In one clinical trial, participants taking oral Wegovi lost an average of 13.6 percent of their total body weight over about 15 months, compared with a 2.2 percent loss when taking a placebo or dummy pill. This is almost identical to the injectable Vegovy, whose patients lost an average of about 15 percent weight.
Chris Mertens, 35, is a pediatric pulmonologist in Menomonee Falls. wisconsinJoined the Novo Nordisk trial in 2022 and lost nearly 40 pounds using the Vegovy pill. He reported that the daily medication worked to reduce his appetite and aggressive thoughts about food. The Associated Press,
“If there were days I forgot to eat, I wouldn’t even realize it,” Mertens said.
Former FDA Commission Dr. David Kessler warned in an interview the new York Times These results will need to be validated in the real world.
“What we’re learning is that the true effectiveness of these drugs will need to be determined by real-world evidence,” he said. told paper. “Tests always look better than practice.”
In recent years, Novo Nordisk’s injectable Vegovi and Lilly’s Zepbound have revolutionized the treatment of obesity globally and in the US, where 100 million people suffer from the chronic disease.
about 1 in 8 Americans According to a survey by KFF, a nonprofit health policy research group, injectable GLP-1 drugs have been used.
The Wegovi pill is expected to generate sales of about $2 billion in 2030, according to TD Cowen analysts.
Novo Nordisk rival Eli Lilly has its own obesity pill, orforglipron, pending, which is still under review.
The company, which makes competing drugs for Vegov including Zepbound and Monjaro, is expected to seek approval sometime around March.