- Novo Nordisk launches Wegovy® pill in the United Arab Emirates today
- Wegovy® pill is indicated to reduce excess body weight and maintain weight reduction long-term
- Wegovy® pill, providing a mean weight loss of 17%, is the only weight-loss pill approved to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including heart attack and stroke, in adults with established cardiovascular disease and obesity or overweight
Bagsværd, Denmark, 3 June 2026 - Novo Nordisk today announced the launch of Wegovy® pill (semaglutide tablets) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the first country outside the United States to make the Wegovy® pill available to people living with obesity. The launch marks an important step in Novo Nordisk’s ambition to expand access to innovative obesity treatments and broaden treatment options for people living with obesity around the world.
“I am thrilled that Wegovy® pill is now available in the UAE,” said Emil Kongshøj Larsen, executive vice president, International Operations at Novo Nordisk. “This launch represents an important milestone in our ambition to expand access to innovative obesity care globally. As we look to future launches, our approach will be guided by local patient demand, the readiness of healthcare professionals, and the strength of healthcare and telehealth infrastructure that can support long-term obesity care. The UAE has demonstrated strong momentum across all of these areas, and we look forward to bringing Wegovy® pill to additional select countries in the coming months.”
The Wegovy® pill is the first oral glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist therapy approved for weight management. The approval is based on the OASIS 4 trial programme.
In the OASIS 4 trial, oral semaglutide 25 mg taken once daily demonstrated ~17% mean weight loss when treatment was adhered to in adult participants with obesity or overweight with one or more comorbidities. The weight loss achieved with the Wegovy® pill is similar to that of injectable Wegovy® 2.4 mg. Furthermore, 1 in 3 people experienced 20% or greater weight loss in the OASIS 4 trial. The established safety and tolerability profile of semaglutide was reaffirmed with Wegovy® pill in the OASIS 4 trial, which was comparable to previous trials with semaglutide for weight management.
Wegovy® pill is also the only weight-loss pill approved by both the FDA and the Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE) to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including heart attack and stroke, in adults with established cardiovascular disease and obesity or overweight.
Worldwide, 1 billion people live with obesity, and in the UAE, 28% of adults are living with obesity, with almost 7.5 million people projected to be living with obesity or overweight by 2035.
Novo Nordisk has previously announced that we will launch Wegovy® pill in select markets in the second half of 2026.
About Wegovy®
Once-weekly Wegovy® injection (2.4 mg and 7.2 mg) is approved by the FDA, EMA and other regulatory authorities worldwide. Wegovy® is approved as once-daily Wegovy® pill (semaglutide 25 mg) by the FDA and EDE. Wegovy® pill is currently pending final marketing approval from the EMA and other regulatory authorities.
Wegovy® is indicated to reduce excess body weight and maintain weight reduction long term in adults with obesity or overweight and in the presence of at least one weight-related comorbid condition, and approved by the FDA, EMA, EDE, and other regulatory authorities, to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, such as death, heart attack or stroke in adults with known heart disease and either obesity or overweight. Furthermore, Wegovy® injection is indicated to reduce excess body weight and maintain long-term weight reduction in paediatric patients aged 12 years and older. It is approved by the FDA and EDE for the treatment of MASH in adults with moderate to advanced liver scarring (fibrosis), but not in those with cirrhosis of the liver.
About obesity
Obesity is a serious, chronic, progressive, and complex disease that requires long-term management. One key misunderstanding is that this is just a lack of willpower, when in fact there is underlying biology that may impede people with obesity from losing weight and keeping it off. Obesity is influenced by a variety of factors, including genetics, social determinants of health and the environment.
About Novo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk is a leading global healthcare company founded in 1923 and headquartered in Denmark. Our purpose is to drive change to defeat serious chronic diseases built upon our heritage in diabetes. We do so by pioneering scientific breakthroughs, expanding access to our medicines, and working to prevent and ultimately cure disease. Novo Nordisk employs about 67,900 people in 80 countries and markets its products in around 170 countries. For more information, visit novonordisk.com, Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Contacts for further information
| Novo Nordisk Media: | |
| Ambre James-Brown +45 3079 9289 globalmedia@novonordisk.com | Liz Skrbkova (US) +1 609 917 0632 usmediarelations@novonordisk.com |
| Novo Nordisk Investors: | |
| Michael Novod +45 3075 6050 nvno@novonordisk.com | Jacob Martin Wiborg Rode +45 3075 5956 jrde@novonordisk.com |
| Sina Meyer +45 3079 6656 azey@novonordisk.com | Max Ung +45 3077 6414 mxun@novonordisk.com |
| Christoffer Sho Togo Tullin +45 3079 1471 cftu@novonordisk.com | Alex Bruce +45 3444 2613 axeu@novonordisk.com |
| Mads Berner Bruun +45 3075 2936 mbbz@novonordisk.com | Frederik Taylor Pitter (US) +1 609 613 0568 fptr@novonordisk.com |
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