The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first GLP-1 pill for weight loss and maintenance.
Drugmaker Novo Nordisk announced the approval of its oral Wegovy pill, an oral semaglutide medication, in a news release Monday.
"The FDA approval of Wegovy pill -- the first oral GLP-1 for adults with obesity and overweight with weight-related medical problems -- has the potential to impact millions of Americans," Dave Moore, executive vice president of Novo Nordisk Inc.'s U.S. operations, said in a statement. "People count on us for more than breakthrough medicines; they need better ways to access them. We will not let them down."
Novo Nordisk -- as well as some doctors -- has touted the oral Wegovy pill as a game-changer when it comes to weight-loss treatments , offering an alternative form that is cheaper to produce, doesn't have to be refrigerated and is suitable for people who cannot or don't prefer to take GLP-1 medications via injectables, currently the most prevalent form of the popular drugs.
