The price for the new Wegovy weight loss pills have been revealed as they officially go on sale for the first time.
This comes after GLP-1 injections have taken the world by storm in recent years with the likes of Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy dominating the weight loss industry.
Now, Wegovy is changing the game by introducing weight loss pills to the market, but they will come at a cost.
Novo Nordisk, which is the parent company of Wegovy, announced yesterday (January 6) that 1.5 milligram and 4mg weight loss pills will now become available to purchase for self-paying patients in the United States.
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The medication will cost users $149 a month.
This comes after the pills were approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last month, making it the first ever daily oral medication to treat obesity to be approved by the FDA.
Ed Cinca, who is the senior vice president, Marketing & Patient Solutions at Novo Nordisk, said: “Wegovy pill is here, and it represents a significant innovation as the first and only GLP-1 pill for weight loss.
“This moment is about changing what's possible in weight management, and to make that possible, we have worked to ensure Wegovy pill is affordable and accessible to those who need it, however they choose to receive their care.”
However, if anyone is wishing to purchase the highest doses available of the pill, which come at 9mg and 25mg, they will have to pay $299 a month. The price of the smaller dose is also expected to rise to $199 from April 2026.
“This is a meaningful step forward in the field,” Dr. Christopher McGowan, a gastroenterologist who runs a weight loss clinic in Cary, North Carolina, told NBC News. “It won’t replace injectables, but it broadens our tool kit in an important way.”
He went on to say: “Pills are familiar, non-intimidating and fit more naturally into most people’s routines.”
While the pills might be expensive, there is no doubting how effective they can be, considering people in the trials were losing a significant amount of weight while on them, including one doctor who shed 40 lbs.
The issue therefore lies with cost, side effects and exactly how to keep the weight off once you have weaned yourself off the drug, as that is something reported to have been causing a lot of issues for GLP-1 users in recent times.