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Novo Nordisk's Obesity Pill Shows Strong Results in Biotech Advancement

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BusinessHonor - Novo Nordisk Obesity Pill Breakthrough

Business Honor
18 September, 2025

Novo Nordisk’s oral semaglutide obesity pill shows promising trial results, advancing biotech treatments amid growing competition.

Novo Nordisk reported notable advances in the biotech space with its once-daily oral obesity drug, semaglutide, yielding strong weight loss outcomes on par with its blockbuster injectable, Wegovy. Data from phase 3 Oasis 4 trial showed 16.6% average weight loss over 64 weeks in people with obesity or overweight and at least one weight condition comorbidity. Also referred to as the "Wegovy pill", this oral GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) treatment is a significant milestone in biotech advancement, offering a needle-free option for patients. The firm's Chief Science Officer, Martin Holst Lange, noted that the pill was comparable to the injectable in terms of efficacy, safety, and tolerability, giving patients more flexibility in their treatment.

Semaglutide, which is the biotech foundation behind both Wegovy and diabetes medication Ozempic, works using biologic mechanisms to control hunger and glucose metabolism. The pill form is in review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today, with a Q4 2025 decision impending. If approved, the pill will be made in the U.S. exclusively, which fits into more domestic production initiatives in the pharmaceutical biotech industry. The competition to launch oral GLP-1 treatments is heating up, with its competitor Eli Lilly's obesity drug, Orforglipron, reporting encouraging phase 3 trial data with 12.4% mean weight reduction. Eli Lilly's drug performed better in controlling blood sugar in diabetics compared to Novo Nordisk's but Novo continues to concentrate on durability of effect, tolerability, and uptake.

Both firms are pushing into next-generation biotech therapies, with Novo Nordisk most recently highlighting development on Cagrilintide, a long-acting amylin analog for weight loss. In the midst of this biotech boom, Novo Nordisk also reported a strategic reduction in force to concentrate on its central diabetes and obesity pipeline, doubling down on its focus to bring biotech solutions for tough metabolic disorders.