EU regulator approves pill form of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy weight loss drug
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Novo Nordisk has obtained approval for the pill form of its popular Wegovy anti-obesity drug in the European Union, the bloc's medicines regulator said on Friday.
The European Medicines Agency said it had "recommended an extension to the marketing authorization for Wegovy (semaglutide) in the EU to add an oral formulation for weight management," alongside the injectable treatment.
The decision follows US approval of the pill form in December.
Novo Nordisk says prescriptions there have surged to over 200,000 a week.
In the EU, the Wegovy pill—the first such version of glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) treatments—will be available only to adults, while the injectable version can be prescribed to patients 12 and older.
The company still needs a final clearance from the European Commission, the EU's executive arm.
That is seen as a formality.
Novo Nordisk said it expected to start selling the pill in other markets in the second quarter of this year. Pricing will be determined by EU member states.
The launch of the pill version helped bolster the Danish pharmaceutical group's finances after it embarked on a restructuring project last year in the face of fierce competition from US rival Eli Lilly's Zepbound.
Key medical concepts
SemaglutideGlucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor AgonistsTirzepatide
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Clinical pharmacologyWeight management Who's behind this story?
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