Novo Nordisk, the Danish pharmaceutical company, made a strong entry into the oral obesity drug market with its recent introduction of the Wegovy pill. Analysts, relying on IQVIA data, report that during the first full week following its January 5 launch, the medication was prescribed 18,410 times across the United States. In the four days immediately following its launch, prescriptions totaled 3,071, marking a robust uptake early in its market presence.
This debut is particularly encouraging within the competitive weight-loss pharmaceutical arena, where investors and stakeholders closely monitor prescription trends to assess how effectively Novo Nordisk leverages its position against significant rivals such as Eli Lilly. The prescriptive adoption rate for the oral Wegovy pill reportedly surpasses early launch performance of comparable GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs.
Oral treatments for obesity, such as Wegovy's new pill form, provide patients with greater convenience and an alternative to the traditionally injected therapies that currently dominate the market. Despite this growing oral segment, injectable medications remain anticipated to hold a substantial market share for the foreseeable future. Barclays analyst James Gordon noted that the oral Wegovy's launch performance is notably strong, albeit within a market that is now more established in obesity care compared to earlier periods when such treatments were emerging.
Novo Nordisk’s strategic emphasis on the pill formulation aims to attract a wider patient base and rejuvenate growth momentum following challenges the company faced in the preceding year, which included profit warnings and slowing sales growth. Their shares have demonstrated a steady increase since the start of the calendar year, rising approximately 25% in January and reaching their highest valuation since late July concurrent with the leadership transition to CEO Mike Doustdar.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is anticipated to issue a decision on Eli Lilly’s experimental oral obesity treatment, orforglipron, by April. Jefferies analyst Akash Tewari views the successful initial uptake of Novo Nordisk’s oral Wegovy as a favorable indicator for Lilly’s forthcoming product, anticipating its use primarily by patients inclined towards oral therapies rather than injectables.
Supporting the favorable launch trends, Guggenheim analysts have observed increased Google search interest in January for Novo Nordisk’s NovoCare Pharmacy and Wegovy. This search activity has exceeded that for LillyDirect, Lilly's own consumer engagement platform launched this month. Although searches related to tirzepatide, Lilly’s Zepbound injection, remain the highest within the obesity treatment category, growing online interest has also been noted for telehealth providers linked with Novo Nordisk, including Ro, LifeMD, and Hims & Hers.