The FDA accepted Novo Nordisk’s NDA for an oral formulation of Wegovy. The agency is expected to release its verdict on the drug in the fourth quarter of this year.
The FDA on Friday accepted Novo Nordisk’s New Drug Application for an oral formulation of its widely popular obesity drug Wegovy for chronic weight management, bringing the Danish drugmaker one step closer to winning the first regulatory approval for a GLP-1 pill specifically for weight-loss.
Novo did not provide a specific target action date for oral Wegovy, only announcing in its news release that the FDA’s verdict is expected in the fourth quarter. If approved, Wegovy’s pill form will carry a 25-mg dose of the drug, scheduled for once-daily dosing in adults who are overweight or obese and who have at least one comorbid condition.
Supporting Wegovy’s oral bid are results from the Phase III OASIS 4 study. A November 2024 readout showed that daily oral Wegovy could match the weekly injectable in lowering bodyweight, Healio reported at the time. Novo did not provide additional data comparing oral versus injectable Wegovy in its Friday release.
OASIS 4 also found that oral Wegovy significantly outperformed placebo, cutting an average of 13.6% of participants’ weight, as opposed to 2.4% in the control group. The oral drug also had a safety profile consistent with its injectable formulation. Wegovy can cause adverse effects like nausea, diarrhea, constipation and abdominal pain.
Last month, a Novo spokesperson confirmed to BioSpace that the pharma had filed for approval for oral Wegovy. The spokesperson also clarified that Novo already has an oral GLP-1 on the market. Rybelsus, an early brand of semaglutide, was given the FDA’s go-ahead in September 2019 for oral dosing. But instead of being indicated for chronic weight management, Rybelsus is approved to treat type 2 diabetes.
Novo is locked in a close race with Eli Lilly to bring the first weight-loss pill to the market. Last month, Lilly announced that orforglipron, an orally available GLP-1 treatment, significantly lowered blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. Analysts at the time were bullish about these findings, with BMO Capital Markets noting that orforglipron achieved “injectable like efficacy.”
Study participants also lost 7.9% body weight after orforglipron treatment, as compared with 1.6% in placebo.
A few days after the late-stage win, Lilly CEO David Ricks told Fox Business that while the study was primarily in diabetes, the pharma’s first drug application for orforglipron will be for chronic weight management later this year. Lilly will subsequently file for approval for type 2 diabetes in 2026. The company also promised to manufacture the drug in the U.S.
