COPENHAGEN, Sep 1: Novo Nordisk has launched its Wegovy pill in Germany, a spokesperson for the Danish drugmaker said on Tuesday, with investors keenly focused on the oral weight-loss treatment in light of intensifying competition with U.S. rival Eli Lilly.
Novo was first to bring a highly effective GLP-1 weight-loss injection, Wegovy, to the U.S. market, but is under pressure to regain ground lost to Lilly’s Zepbound in a business that analysts expect will be worth more than $100 billion a year by 2030.
Germany, a key European launch market for innovative medicines and the biggest pharmaceutical market in the European Union, is the first country in the 27-member bloc where Novo has launched the Wegovy pill. The pill was launched earlier this year in the U.S., Britain and the United Arab Emirates.
Prices for the Wegovy pill will vary depending on the dosage and will be comparable to those of the Wegovy pen, for which pharmacy retail prices currently range between €170 to €280, a Novo spokesperson told Reuters. Lilly’s weight-loss pill Foundayo launched in the UK in late August and is currently under regulatory review in more than 40 markets, with the company expecting a rollout across all major markets in 2027. Lilly’s Foundayo has been gaining momentum in the U.S. since its approval and launch in April, but still lags the Wegovy pill.
Novo’s Wegovy pill contains semaglutide, the same active ingredient used in its blockbuster injectable drugs Wegovy for weight loss and Ozempic for diabetes. Novo’s pill in May won a positive recommendation from the European Medicines Agency, followed by a nod from the European Commission in July, clearing it for use across the EU.
Novo’s Doustdar said when Novo reported second-quarter earnings in August that the company estimated the Wegovy pill had captured 90% of the oral obesity market, despite competition from Lilly’s product. Pills could comprise more than a third of GLP-1 use by 2030, Novo said in January. The company is due to hold its capital markets day on September 21.
