The “magic” weight loss pill has arrived.
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved a pill version of Wegovy, Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster weight loss drug.
The Wegovy pill, as it’s called, is first oral version of a GLP-1 drug that has been brought to market for weight loss. A second pill, from Eli Lilly, is also expected to be approved in the coming months.
Novo Nordisk expects the Wegovy pill to be available widely in January, a company spokesperson said. […]
“This is a meaningful step forward in the field,” said Dr. Christopher McGowan, a gastroenterologist who runs a weight loss clinic in Cary, North Carolina. “It won’t replace injectables, but it broadens our tool kit in an important way.”
Customers would ask about “a pill for weight loss” years ago - a magic pill for weight loss. Now the dream is halfway there. The pill exists, but nothing magical about the side effects:
As with GLP-1 injections, the most common reported side effects in the trial were gastrointestinal, including nausea and vomiting. In some cases, the side effects from the pill version may feel “more intense,” McGowan said, because the medication hits the stomach all at once and can trigger nausea.
“The challenges we see with injectable GLP-1s don’t magically disappear with a tablet,” he said.
As always, you can’t beat the traditional recommendation of two critical lifestyle changes: changing your diet for the better, and more exercise.