Story perspectives

Novo’s oral Wegovy hits 3 million U.S. prescriptions

By Drooid · Sep 14, 2026, 11:01 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Novo Nordisk rebranded as “Novo” to boost competitiveness in obesity drugs.
The legal entity remains Novo Nordisk A/S while the consumer brand becomes Novo.
Novo’s oral Wegovy pill reached three million U.S. prescriptions by June, representing about 90% of the oral market.
Phase 3 trials of ziltivekimab and its CagriSema combo failed to meet non-inferiority in REDEFINE 4.

History

Historical Context

In 1992 John Eng isolated exendin-4 from Gila-monster venom, prompting Amylin to license the peptide and, after a 2002 partnership with Eli Lilly, secure FDA approval for exenatide (Byetta) in April 2005. That approval validated GLP-1 receptor targeting and paved the way for Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide, whose oral version now dominates the U.S. obesity-drug market.

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Story summary

Novo Nordisk rebranded as “Novo” to boost competitiveness in obesity drugs.
The legal entity remains Novo Nordisk A/S while the consumer brand becomes Novo.
Novo’s oral Wegovy pill reached three million U.S. prescriptions by June, representing about 90% of the oral market.
Phase 3 trials of ziltivekimab and its CagriSema combo failed to meet non-inferiority in REDEFINE 4.

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