Wegovy obesity pill now available at pharmacies : Shots
A pill form of Wegovy, the popular obesity drug previously available only by injection, is now stocked in pharmacies.
Novo Nordisk
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Novo Nordisk
The Wegovy pill launched Monday and the initial dose is now available in pharmacies nationwide, with higher doses arriving by the end of the week.
The Food and Drug Administration approved the obesity pill on December 22. It is also approved to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes in obese or overweight patients.
The pill follows the huge success of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy injection, which has been brought to market. since 2021 and became so popular that it was rare until February 2025.
The pill version of the drug helped patients lose as much weight as the injection. In a published study in the New England Journal of Medicinea 25-milligram Wegovy pill resulted in a 13.6% weight reduction on average over 64 weeks. Patients taking a placebo in the study lost 2.2% of their weight. For patients who continued treatment, reduced their calorie intake and exercised, Novo Nordisk Estimates they would have a 16.6% reduction in their weight.
However, patients should take the Wegovy pill on an empty stomach and wait half an hour before eating anything else for the medication to be properly absorbed. The most common side effects with the Wegovy pill are similar to those of the injection and include nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting.
When Novo Nordisk announced the price of its drugs agreement with the Trump administration in Novemberhe promised to make the obesity pill available for $149 a month to patients not using their health insurance. However, this is only the starting dose for direct-to-consumer pricing. Higher doses will be available for $299 per month.
The price that affects insurance coverage, called the list price, is the same as the Wegovy injection: $1,349 per month.
Insurance coverage for obesity medications became more restrictive in 2025, according to an analysis by GoodRx, a website that helps patients find discounts on prescription drugs. But Novo Nordisk says patients with insurance coverage can get the Wegovy pill for as little as $25 a month.
Although the Wegovy pill is the first of its kind to gain FDA approval, Novo Nordisk’s type 2 diabetes pill, Rybelsus, is already on the market. It contains the same active ingredient, semaglutide, but the doses are different.
Eli Lilly, which makes the Zepbound injection, asked the FDA in late 2025 for approval of its competing obesity pill. The agency gave the company a voucher for priority review and a decision could be made early this year.
