Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy pill maintains strong lead over Eli Lilly rival despite weekly dip, Citi says Proactive uses images sourced from Shutterstock
Novo Nordisk’s (NYSE:NVO) oral version of its blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy continues to outpace its main competitor despite a slight weekly decline in prescriptions, according to Citi’s latest tracking data.
The bank’s weekly prescription tracker, based on IQVIA data, showed Wegovy pill reaching approximately 137,000 total prescriptions in its 18th week on the US market, a 4% decline week on week.
However, that figure still represents roughly 1.5 times the prescription volume that Zepbound, Eli Lilly’s rival obesity treatment, achieved at the equivalent point in its own launch.
Citi cautioned that IQVIA data does not fully capture the direct-to-patient cash-pay channel, meaning actual volumes could be higher than reported.
The lowest 1.5 milligram dose fell 5% week on week, though its four-week rolling average remained positive at 1%, while higher doses also declined, leading the bank to suggest the overall weakness may partly reflect data capture limitations rather than genuine softening in demand.
Citi also provided early data on Foundayo, the oral formulation of semaglutide that Novo Nordisk launched in the US on 9 April as a daily pill alternative.
IQVIA captured 10,248 prescriptions for Foundayo in the week ending 8 May, its fourth full week of data, compared with 28,515 for the Wegovy pill at the same stage. However, Citi noted it remains very early in the launch, with capture rates likely to be variable.
Direct-to-consumer television advertising for Foundayo is not expected to begin until the third quarter.