Patients switching to Novo Nordisk's Wegovy pill from shots lose more weight in real-world study
NVO•Patients switching from injectable obesity therapies to oral semaglutide lost an average of 4.1% of their body weight over three months, a real-world study found. Nearly 41% lost at least 5%.
1. Weight loss after switching
The 194-patient study found participants lost an average of 4.1% of their body weight, or 4.0 kilograms (8.8 pounds), over three months after switching from injectable obesity therapies, including Wegovy and Zepbound, to oral semaglutide. Average starting weight was 221.6 pounds (100.5 kilograms). The share classified as clinically obese fell to 65.5% from 87.1%.
2. Pill adoption
Novo Nordisk Chief Scientific Officer Martin Holst Lange said many patients prefer the pill and that some did better on it than on injectable drugs. The findings, compiled with US telehealth company Ro, were presented at a medical meeting in Milan. They rely in part on patient self-reporting and cannot establish direct causality as randomized trials can.
3. Market context
Oral therapies account for about a third of US obesity prescriptions following the Wegovy pill's rollout, according to company presentations, and Novo said it has captured more than 80% of new oral prescriptions. The pill has launched in the US, Britain, Germany and the UAE, with more rollouts planned in coming quarters.
