Wegovy pill shows strong early uptake, as rival looms

The first data has emerged on the uptake of Novo Nordisk’s new oral version of GLP-1 agonist weight-loss therapy Wegovy, with encouraging signs of strong demand as a potential rival from Eli Lilly waits for an FDA decision on approval.

There were 3,071 prescriptions for the Wegovy (semaglutide) pill in its first four days on the market after being approved by the FDA at the end of last year and launched on 5th January, according to IQVIA data shared by analysts and reported by Reuters.

According to Barclays, that figure only covers retail pharmacy sales – not those through Novo Nordisk’s…