FDA clears first oral Wegovy pill; tablets to hit U.S. pharmacies Jan. 5

Time reports the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Novo Nordisk’s oral version of Wegovy on Dec. 22, and bottles of the pill produced at the company’s North Carolina plant are slated to begin reaching retail stores and online pharmacies on Jan. 5. The tablet offers a daily alternative to the once-weekly injection and is said to produce about the same weight loss—between 16% and 17% of starting body weight.

Production at the Clayton facility starts with genetically engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast, followed by fermentation, purification into a semaglutide paste that is frozen at −20°C, then thawed, spray-dried and pressed into tablets; the plant is operating around the clock and currently holds about a month’s supply of the active ingredient.

Wegovy pills will be offered in four doses—1.5 mg (starter), 4 mg, 9 mg and 25 mg—with most patients starting low and titrating up. As announced with the White House in November, the starter dose will cost $149 a month for out-of-pocket buyers and federal insurance plans; the next-highest dose is $149 until April 2026, then $199, and the two highest doses will be $299, while some insured patients may pay as little as $24.

Key Topics

Health, Wegovy, Novo Nordisk, Semaglutide, Fda, North Carolina