The arrival of the oral appetite suppressant drug Wegovy across 70,000 US pharmacies offers a more affordable and convenient weight-loss treatment option than injectable Wegovy or Eli Lilly’s (US) once-weekly injectable GLP-1 medicine Zepbound.
While GlobalData does not expect oral Wegovy to substantially displace sales of injectable versions in 2026, some sales cannibalisation in the medium-term outlook is inevitable. Nevertheless, new market opportunities are also present for individuals who find injections off-putting. The ease-of-use appeal may also increase the number of patients willing to try weight loss treatment in the first place and mean that more patients adhere to prescriptions for longer. In addition, oral Wegovy could reach an untapped market of individuals who want to use the drug in a more ad hoc fashion to maintain target weights or for short periods during key life events (such as holidays and weddings).
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Judging the size of the expansive oral weight loss market is difficult. In the past, Novo Nordisk has been caught out by sudden spikes and dips in consumer demand for injectable Wegovy, and similar surprises could lie in store for Wegovy pills. Even so, the number of Wegovy users is potentially comparable to Eli Lilly’s rival once daily anti-obesity drug, orforglipron, which is poised to receive FDA approval in Q2 2026, and which is forecast to reach an estimated 360,000 US patients in 2026.
Ultimately, Novo Nordisk anticipates high levels of consumer demand for oral Wegovy, with uptake driven by cost-related reasons as much as patient-friendly administration.
According to GlobalData POLI, US ex-manufacture and wholesale prices for Wegovy tablets (1.5mg, 4mg, 9mg, 25mg × 30 units) amount to $1,349 and $1,618, respectively—figures that are unchanged when compared to injectable formulations. But, relying on a differentiated pricing strategy, Novo Nordisk launched Wegovy tablets through direct-to-consumer channels at $149 per month for 1.5mg and 4mg starter doses for patients paying out-of-pocket. The price for higher maintenance doses (9mg and 25mg) reaches $299 per month. These costs are significantly lower than competitor products, with Novo Nordisk’s injectable version of Wegovy with starter doses at $199 per month and maintenance doses sold to consumers at $349 per month. Prices of injectable Zepbound are also sold directly to patients, ranging from $299 to $449 per month, depending on the strength. These disparities represent a test of US payers’ willingness to pay for injectable weight loss drugs, with costs perhaps driving some patients to switch to Wegovy tablets.
Amazon Pharmacy’s decision to offer same-day prescription delivery of the GLP-1 pill through its digital pharmacy service may also help expand access to new patients.
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By GlobalDataA big test of consumers’ appetite for Wegovy tablets will probably come at the end of January when President Trump’s direct-to-consumer channel TrumpRx is due to launch. Through Most Favored Nation (MFN) agreements with pharmaceutical companies, the portal will offer the lowest price available in economically similar countries to the US. Instead of patients purchasing prescriptions through pharmacies, consumers will be able to purchase their medications directly through the TrumpRx program.
In the future, the anticipated arrival of new entrants in the weight loss therapeutic space may also mean that price strategies continue to be adjusted, with greater affordability in turn fueling further market expansion. Early signs suggest that Eli Lilly is also likely to price orforglipron competitively at $149 per month for starter doses, and $399 for higher maintenance doses, thereby establishing the conditions for a highly dynamic market landscape in which Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk battle for market share.
Affordability—how fast and how soon prices fall—will be the key factor in determining how and whether the US market will gain an appetite for the new crop of oral weight loss medicines. GlobalData forecasts that worldwide sales of Wegovy pills will amount to $456m in 2026, with the US market accounting for a 58% share. GlobalData also forecasts US sales of oral Wegovy will expand to $721min 2027 and $1.092bn in 2028. Based on current trends, by the end of the decade, GlobalData predicts that oral Wegovy will account for at least 16% of Novo Nordisk’s combined sales of injectable Wegovy plus Wegovy pills. Longer term, Eli Lilly’s oral small-molecule drug orforglipron may have higher profitability than Wegovy tablets, due to being cheaper and easier to manufacture, and this could potentially result in willingness to tolerate a lower US price point.
This article is produced as part of GlobalData’s Price Intelligence (POLI) service, the world’s leading resource for global pharmaceutical pricing, HTA and market access intelligence integrated with the broader epidemiology, disease, clinical trials and manufacturing expertise of GlobalData’s Pharmaceutical Intelligence Center. Our unparalleled team of in-house experts monitors P&R policy developments, outcomes and data analytics around the world every day to give our clients the edge by providing critical early warning signals and insights. For a demo or further information, please contact us here.
