Soon after securing a landmark FDA approval for its oral version of Wegovy, Novo Nordisk has moved quickly to roll out the pill-based obesity treatment in the U.S.
The once-daily tablet officially launched nationwide. Novo has priced the entry-level 1.5-mg dose at $149 per month – roughly $5 a day – for patients paying out of pocket. For those with commercial insurance, monthly costs could drop to as little as $25 when using the company’s savings programs, according to a January 5 press announcement.
The FDA cleared Novo’s Wegovy pill on December 22, making it the first oral GLP-1 therapy authorized for weight management. In addition to treating obesity, the daily drug is approved to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events, including heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular-related death.
Before the Wegovy tablet got the FDA green light, Novo Nordisk had already notched an approval in 2019 for an oral formulation of the same GLP-1 compound, semaglutide, under the type 2 diabetes brand name Rybelsus.
For the moment, the latest authorization gives Novo a competitive advantage over its main metabolic rival, Eli Lilly. Lilly overtook Novo in the U.S. obesity prescription market last year with its dual GIP/GLP-1 injectable Zepbound and is now pushing to secure FDA approval for its own oral weight-loss contender, orforglipron, which could arrive soon after Novo’s breakthrough.
Ed Cinca, senior vice president of marketing and patient solutions at Novo, said Monday that the Wegovy pill had launched and marked a major innovation as the first and only GLP-1 pill developed for weight loss globally today.
He added that the need of the hour is to redefine what is possible in weight management, noting that the company worked to ensure the Wegovy pill is affordable and accessible for people who need it, regardless of how they decide to receive care.
As part of its push to broaden patient access, Novo Nordisk – like several peers across the pharmaceutical sector – has leaned into self-pay distribution models and partnered with select telehealth companies to promote its GLP-1 portfolio, including oral Wegovy. This approach is designed to work around persistent insurance coverage limitations for obesity medicines while also countering the rise of compounding pharmacies that began offering copycat versions of Novo’s and Eli Lilly’s GLP-1 drugs during past supply constraints.
According to the company’s launch statement, the Wegovy pill will be dispensed through major U.S. retail pharmacies such as Costco and CVS. In addition, patients will be able to obtain the drug through a group of approved virtual care platforms, including, LifeMD, Weight Watchers, Ro and GoodRx, as well as Novo’s in-house direct-to-consumer outlet, NovoCare Pharmacy.
For people covering the cost themselves, Novo said the Wegovy pill will be priced at $149 per month for the introductory 1.5-mg dose and the 4-mg dose until April 15. After that, the monthly price of the 4-mg strength will increase to $199. Patients taking the pill’s highest dose levels will face a monthly cost of $299 if they do not have insurance coverage.
Novo Launches Wegovy in the U.S. at $149 Monthly For Cash-Paying Customers
Novo Nordisk has officially launched the Wegovy weight-loss pill in the United States, offering a major new option for adults seeking effective obesity treatment without injections. The once-daily Wegovy pill, which is the first oral GLP-1 weight-loss medication approved in the U.S., is being made available at a starting cash-pay price of $149 per month for self-pay patients on select doses, with higher-strength versions available at adjusted prices.
This significant pricing strategy reflects Novo’s effort to expand access to Wegovy beyond traditional injectable formats and make the drug more affordable for patients who do not have comprehensive insurance coverage, especially as competition heats up in the obesity drug market. In clinical studies, Wegovy has demonstrated robust weight-loss results when combined with diet and exercise, making the oral formulation an attractive alternative for patients seeking convenience alongside effectiveness.
