Bengaluru: Novo Nordisk said on Wednesday the European Commission approved its once-daily Wegovy pill for weight management in adults with obesity or who are overweight, making it the first oral GLP-1 weight-loss treatment cleared for use across the European Union.

The approval ‌comes after ⁠a ⁠positive recommendation from the European Medicines Agency in May, giving the Danish drugmaker a head start in the race to dominate the emerging weight-loss pill market alongside Eli Lilly's Foundayo, which has yet to clear the EU regulatory pathway.

The approval covers oral semaglutide 25 mg for adults with a body ⁠mass index ‌of at least 30, or at least 27 with one weight-related health condition, alongside diet and ⁠exercise.Novo said the approval was based on clinical trial data showing people taking the Wegovy pill lost about 17% of their body weight on average, compared with about 3% for those on placebo.

The company said side effects were in line with the known safety profile of injectable semaglutide. Treatment discontinuations linked to ‌side effects were 6.9% for the pill and 5.9% for placebo, it said.

"This approval brings another important treatment option to people living ⁠with obesity," Novo Nordisk Chief Executive Mike Doustdar said in a statement, adding that a tablet may be simpler and more acceptable for some patients than injections.

Source: ET Pharma – July 16, 2026