The UK\u2019s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved Novo Nordisk\u2019s Wegovy (semaglutide) pill, marking another regulatory win for the drugmaker as it looks to close the gap to obesity market rival Eli Lilly.<\/p>\n
The agency has authorised the tablet for adult patients with obesity and a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or above. Those who are overweight with a BMI between 27 and 30 and at least one weight-related comorbidity will also qualify for prescriptions.<\/p>\n
While being authorised for the UK market, it is unclear whether Novo\u2019s pill will be covered on the NHS. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has yet to conduct its cost-effectiveness review for oral Wegovy, though the injectable version of the drug is highly restricted in the health service.<\/p>\n
This uncertainty has already created lengthy queues in the UK\u2019s private health sector. Simple Online Healthcare, a digital healthcare service, already has 55,000 people on its waitlist for an oral glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) treatment.<\/p>\n
The Wegovy pill is taken daily and contains the same active ingredient as the weekly injection. It has similar efficacy, with users losing just under 14% of their body weight, on average, over 64 weeks. The starting dose for the pill is 1.5mg, with higher doses of 4mg, 9mg and 25mg. Patients who are already taking 2.4mg of injectable Wegovy once weekly on a private prescription can be transitioned straight to the 25mg dose of tablets once daily.<\/p>\n
Novo\u2019s record-breaking launch <\/p>\n
With its Wegovy pill now approved in the US and UK, Novo Nordisk is leaning on the oral weight loss sector to close the gap to Eli Lilly. The US drugmaker currently dominates the obesity drug market<\/a> with tirzepatide brands Zepbound and Mounjaro. The Wegovy pill is also recommended for approval in Europe.<\/p>\n Wegovy pill\u2019s approval in the UK means Novo has now beaten Lilly to market in<\/a> two key regions for an oral therapy indicated for obesity. In May 2026, the Danish big pharma company\u2019s CEO Mike Doustdar touted a \u201crecord-breaking start\u201d<\/a> for the product, with performance only going from strength to strength since.<\/p>\n In a June update at the annual American Diabetes Association (ADA) meeting, the company revealed that more than three million prescriptions of oral Wegovy have been issued in the US. According to Novo, this marks \u201cone of the strongest US pharmaceutical launches by volume on record\u201d. This translates to a prescription being filled every five seconds over the five months since launch, Novo calculates.<\/p>\n