Novo Nordisk oral Wegovy study shows 4.1% extra weight loss

Novo Nordisk presented real-world data on Wednesday, September 30, showing that patients who switched from injectable treatments to oral semaglutide continued to lose weight. The study examined 194 patients using the US telehealth platform Ro who transitioned from weekly injections such as Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Zepbound. Over three months on the daily pill, participants achieved an additional average weight loss of 4.1%, or roughly 4 kilograms.

The analysis, named Octane, was unveiled at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes congress in Milan. At baseline, participants had an average weight of 100.5 kilograms and an average body mass index of 34.5 kg/m2. By the end of the three months, the proportion of patients classified as obese dropped from 87.1% to 65.5%, while slightly more than 40% lost at least 5% of their body weight. Among survey respondents, 82.4% reported improvements, including roughly 69% noticing better-fitting clothes and approximately 51% eating healthier.

Martin Holst Lange, chief scientific officer at Novo Nordisk, noted in an interview with Reuters that questions lingered regarding patient compliance with daily pills versus weekly shots. Lange said that leaving injections behind often links to needle anxiety, lifestyle factors, or simple patient preference, adding that innovation aims to meet people with obesity wherever they are.

Oral Wegovy has already launched in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United Arab Emirates, with plans to expand to selected markets in coming quarters. Novo Nordisk emphasized that Octane is an observational real-world study rather than a randomized clinical trial. The company noted limitations including self-reported data and varying record completeness, cautioning that the results show associations rather than direct cause-and-effect superiority over injections.