Novo Nordisk Launches $149 Wegovy Pill, Expanding Access to GLP-1 Weight-Loss Drugs

In brief

• Novo Nordisk rolled out an oral version of Wegovy in the U.S., marking the first pill-based GLP-1 approved specifically for weight loss.
• GLP-1 drugs from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have surged in popularity, though injections, side effects, and cost have remained barriers for some patients.
• The pill builds on years of work to deliver an oral-GLP-1 drug that could broaden access as demand for obesity treatments continues to grow.

Novo Nordisk’s long-anticipated weight-loss pill finally reached U.S. pharmacies this week, opening a new front in the GLP-1 drug boom fueled by the popular drug. On Monday, the company said its once-daily Wegovy pill—an oral version of semaglutide starting at $149 per month for a dose of 1.5 mg—was now broadly available across the U.S. That follows FDA approval late last month, making it the first oral GLP-1 drug given the OK in the U.S. specifically for weight loss, extending a class of medicines that until now has largely required weekly injections. “We know there are people who are interested in addressing their weight but have been waiting on the sidelines for a medicine that was right for them,” Ed Cinca, senior vice president of marketing and patient solutions at Novo Nordisk, said in a statement. “For many of them, that wait is over as we can now offer the powerful efficacy of Wegovy in a once-daily pill that demonstrated about 17% weight loss, if all patients stayed on treatment.” 

The Wegovy pill, Novo Nordisk said, is available through U.S. pharmacies including CVS and Costco, as well as health providers like LifeMD and Weight Watchers. A 4mg dose will also be available for $149 per month through April 15, then will increase to $199. The highest doses of the Wegovy pill will cost $299 monthly, the company said. Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 or GLP-1 medicines were originally developed to treat type-2 diabetes, but have surged in popularity over the past several years after clinical trials showed they could produce sustained weight loss by suppressing appetite and slowing gastric emptying. Demand for injectable versions such as Wegovy and Ozempic from Novo Nordisk, and Zepbound and Mounjaro from Eli Lilly and Company, has repeatedly outpaced supply, contributing to shortages, high out-of-pocket costs, and driving patients to look for alternatives. Those pressures have increased interest in pill-based options, as some patients are hesitant to start or stay on weekly injections because of needle aversion, and difficulties maintaining long-term treatment.

The launch comes as GLP-1 drugs moved to the center of federal drug-pricing policy. In November, the White House announced pricing agreements under a new purchasing program known as TrumpRx, aimed at aligning U.S. prices for certain high-cost medicines with those paid in other developed countries. While the TrumpRx website is active, it currently functions mainly as a landing page outlining the administration’s executive order and pricing framework, rather than a full consumer purchasing platform. Under the agreements, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly agreed to cut prices for several major GLP-1 drugs, including Wegovy, Ozempic, Zepbound, and Mounjaro, when sold through the program, lowering monthly costs for eligible patients from more than $1,000 to the mid-$300 range. The deals also set pricing expectations for future GLP-1 drugs, including oral formulations, as obesity treatments take on a larger role in federal health spending. Despite the agreements with the White House, a Novo Nordisk spokesperson told Decrypt there was no influence from the Trump administration on the approval of the Wegovy pill, noting that the OASIS-4 clinical trials that supported the FDA decision concluded two years ago. For Novo Nordisk, the Wegovy pill enters a rapidly evolving obesity drug market that has attracted sustained demand. A May 2025 report from Goldman Sachs projected the global GLP-1 market would reach $95 billion by 2030.