Everything you need to know about the new Wegovy Pill – from how it works to when and where you can get it
The approval of the Wegovy Pill in Britain has sparked a desperate clamor among those looking to lose weight quickly.
Private waiting lists are believed to have swelled by close to 100,000 as Britons scramble to secure the game-changing GLP-1 treatment, which could help obese patients lose 17 per cent of their body weight after 64 weeks.
The oral medication, a tablet version of the once-weekly Wegovy injection, will be available only through private providers for now.
These include well-known high street names such as Morrisons, Superdrug and Boots, whose pharmacies will stock the pills, as well as numerous other licensed and regulated retailers.
Prices will be even cheaper than the injectable form of the drug, and some healthcare providers will sell the drug starting today. If all goes as planned, the pill could be in patients’ hands at the beginning of July.
Although no timetable has been announced yet, it is understood discussions about making the treatment available on the NHS will take place soon.
Its approval by health authorities on Thursday means the pill can be prescribed specifically to adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, meaning they are officially obese. People with a BMI between 27 and 30 who also have a ‘weight-related’ medical condition will also qualify.
So how exactly does the Wegovy Pill work and when can people take it? Here’s everything you need to know about the blockbuster weight loss treatment.
The approval of the Wegovy Pill in Britain has triggered a desperate clamor among those looking to lose weight quickly
How does the Wegovy Pill work?
Like Wegovy injection, Wegovy Pill contains the same active ingredient, semaglutide.
It works by reducing the body’s appetite by mimicking a hormone secreted in the gut after eating.
This reduces hunger and allows patients to feel full for longer; Therefore, patients’ appetite decreases and they continue to lose weight.
Trial results show that participants taking the pill lost approximately 17 percent of their body weight; This means it is slightly less effective than injections, which tend to trigger a reduction of up to 20.7 percent at the highest dose.
The starting dose of the pill is 1.5 mg, increasing to 4 mg, 9 mg and up to a maximum of 25 mg. Patients should take each dose for at least a month before increasing the dose.
However, those currently using the 2.4 mg Wegovy injection are allowed to switch directly to the 25 mg form of the tablet.
The pill is taken once a day and should be swallowed on an empty stomach with a small amount of water.
The emergence of the GLP-1 pill is expected to lead to a huge increase in the demand for weight loss treatments.
At least 1.6 million adults in the UK are thought to have already used a weight-loss vaccine; It is thought that 3.3 million adults are considering getting this injection.
But a survey by digital healthcare provider Numan found that nearly one in five people considering using a weight-loss drug put it off due to fear of needles.
Now that the simpler oral tablet has been approved, experts believe demand for the pills will increase as it gives people the option of not self-injecting.
Estimates based on prescribing trends in the US suggest more than 120,000 British adults could start taking the pill privately within three months of its launch.
Dr Tsolmon Tsogbayar, senior clinical product leader NumanHe said: ‘There are many people who have been seeking support with their weight for years but struggle with the idea of injectable treatment, in some cases avoiding healthcare settings that involve injections altogether.
‘The emergence of the oral GLP-1 drug is extremely important because it has the potential to make evidence-based obesity treatment accessible to a much wider group of patients who previously felt excluded from the available options available.’
Are there any side effects?
Like all GLP-1 medications, Wegovy Pill can cause side effects; however, these are generally mild to moderate in severity.
During the clinical trial that led to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approving the drug for use in the UK, around 74 per cent of those using the drug reported problems such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
However, the symptoms were not specific to those using the drug. In the placebo group (participants who did not take the drug in the study), 42 percent reported similar complaints.
The drugs’ official website states: ‘Use of Wegovy has been associated with gastrointestinal (GI) side effects, which can sometimes be serious.
Wegovy is not recommended for patients with severe gastroparesis (a chronic condition in which food passes through the stomach more slowly than it should).
‘Nausea was the most frequently reported symptom. Nausea was usually temporary. Most of the nausea did not lead to permanent discontinuation of Wegovy.’
As with the injectable version of Wegovy, more serious complications are rare but can occur.
These include gallbladder problems, inflammation of the pancreas known as pancreatitis, and kidney complications.
Patients are advised to seek medical attention if they experience severe symptoms.
Like all GLP-1 medications, Wegovy Pill can cause side effects; however, these are generally mild to moderate in severity.
Where, when will it be available and how much will it cost?
As the Wegovy Pill has not yet been approved for NHS use, the drug will only be available from private, licensed retailers for now.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which decides whether drugs should be funded by the health service, claimed when contacted by the Daily Mail yesterday that Wegovy manufacturer Novo Nordisk had not yet submitted an application to them.
However, it is understood that Novo Nordisk plans to meet with the UK Government to discuss the rollout of the Wegovy Pill on the NHS in the future; The price of the drug is thought to be a sticking point.
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Until then, patients eligible to be prescribed the drug will need to consult licensed private providers.
These include well-known high street names such as Boots, Morrisons and Superdrug, as well as popular online healthcare providers such as Numan, Simple Online Healthcare, Juniper and Voy.
Superdrug confirmed it hoped to have stock in July after seeing a 130 per cent increase in registrations for the drug, but could not confirm its price.
Meanwhile, Boots said they expect the Wegovy Pill to be available ‘in the coming weeks’. They added that pricing details will be shared ‘closer to launch’.
Morrisons said they expect the drug in the summer.
Specialty retailers shared more information; Simple Online Healthcare said the waiting list has already surpassed 60,000 people and they expect to start delivering the drugs to patients in early July, after going on pre-sale today.
Prices will start from around £99 per month for the lowest dose of 1.5mg, the provider said.
Abdal Alvi, chief clinical officer at Simple Online Pharmacy, told the Daily Mail: ‘We expect to open a pre-sale today for limited access to those on our waiting list, with prices starting from £99 or £3 per day.
‘Patients should expect delivery from early July; further communication will follow.’
Digital health provider Voy has also seen ‘tens of thousands’ of registrations from people hoping to access treatment.
The drug is expected to be available on Voy from early July, with prices starting from £79 per month for the lowest dose.
By comparison, private prescriptions of the injectable version of Wegovy usually cost between £90 and £300 per month, depending on the dose prescribed.
Voy’s chief medical officer, Dr Earim Chaudry, also told the Mail that Voy was taking pre-orders for priority shipping of the pill.
He added: ‘Demand was significant: tens of thousands of people had already joined our waiting list before launch, reflecting the extent of interest following approval.
‘We expect to start delivering to eligible patients within weeks, with prices starting from £79.’
Numan’s Dr. Tsogbayar added: ‘Since news of the confirmation yesterday, we have seen an almost 300 per cent increase in the number of people wanting to learn more, which is a huge number.
‘We now hope to offer the Wegovy Pill orally to eligible patients via private prescription from the beginning of July – and while UK pricing is still being confirmed, we expect this to be comparable to or slightly cheaper than current injectable treatment costs.’
Chemist4U CEO James O’Loan said: ‘Yesterday’s approval marks a real breakthrough in the treatment of obesity in the UK.
‘We hope the weight loss pills will be available to eligible patients in the UK in the coming weeks, and although there is no confirmed price yet, we hope it will be comparable to injections.’
Juniper UK GP and policy leader Dr. Simon Doyle said patients could sign up to speak to their prescribers and ‘if appropriate, receive their medication as soon as stocks arrive in the coming weeks’.
Juniper has not confirmed a firm price.
Wegovy injections are already available on the NHS, but only for a limited group of patients undergoing ‘phase three’ weight management, i.e. those most in need of weight loss.
The Mail has contacted a number of other healthcare providers and retailers who are expected to stock the drug and will update this article as more details about availability and pricing emerge.
