Novo's Wegovy pill helps patients lose about 6% of weight in three months, real-world data show

By Patrick Wingrove LONDON Nov 14 - Patients who stayed on Novo ​Nordisk's daily Wegovy pill lost an average of ​6.2% of their body weight over ‌three months, ​according to real-world data due to be presented at the ObesityWeek conference in Washington.

The pill, launched in January, has helped Novo regain ‌some ground lost to Eli Lilly, and the Danish drugmaker is trying to stay ahead of its US rival in the race for oral obesity treatments. Novo's Chief Scientific Officer Martin Holst Lange said in an interview that ‌the real-world data was encouraging as it broadly replicated the findings of 5.5% weight loss at ‌12 weeks seen in Novo's late-stage trial for the pill.

Study participants, who started taking the pill between January 5 and February 7, 2026, lost an average of 6.3 kg (13.9 pounds) from a baseline weight of 103.0 kg (227 pounds), Novo said. About three-fifths ⁠lost ​at least 5% of ⁠their weight, and roughly one in six lost at least 10%. The analysis covered 5,872 adults on the Ro telehealth platform who ⁠had never taken a weight-loss drug and who stayed on the pill for the full three months.

Novo Nordisk's fortunes ​have declined significantly since it became Europe's most valuable listed company following the 2021 launch of ⁠its injectable weight-loss drug, Wegovy. Its stock has plummeted over 70% from its peak as Lilly surpassed it to take the ⁠lead ​in the obesity-drug market. According to company presentations earlier this month, however, oral treatments now represent roughly a third of US obesity prescriptions, with Novo securing over 80% of new oral prescriptions.

The company in ⁠September said separate real-world data showed patients who switched from weight-loss injections to Novo's pill continued to lose ⁠weight. Oral Wegovy — known chemically ⁠as semaglutide — led to about a 14% reduction in body weight over 64 weeks, while Eli Lilly's obesity pill Foundayo led to about an 11% ‌reduction over 72 weeks, ‌separate studies have shown.