Patients will soon be able to buy the Wegovy weight-loss pill, the medicines regulator announced today.
It is the first GLP-1 receptor agonist tablet for weight-loss to be approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), making the UK the third country to authorise the pills, behind the US and the United Arab Emirates.
Emil Kongshøj Larsen, the executive vice-president for international operations at Novo Nordisk, which manufactures the drug, said: “This is a landmark approval, making the UK the first country in Europe to approve Wegovy pill. We hope this approval supports increasing access to obesity care in the UK.”
Wegovy pills, which contain semaglutide, are now approved for adults with obesity who have a BMI of 30 or higher, or those who are overweight – with a BMI of 27-30 – and at least one weight-related health condition. Clinical trials showed that those on the highest dose lost 14-17% of their body weight after 64 weeks.
Until Wegovy tablets are approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, they will not be available on the NHS and eligible patients wishing to take them will have to obtain a private prescription. Prices have not yet been agreed, but patients will hope they are cheaper than injections. A private prescription for Wegovy injections typically costs £90-£300 a month, depending on the dose and length of prescription.
New patients will start on 1.5mg, with doses increasing to 4mg, 9mg and 25mg, with at least one month at each level. Those already treated privately with weekly 2.4mg Wegovy injections can swap straight to 25mg tablets once daily, if suitable, the MHRA said.
As with the injectable form, Wegovy pills have to be taken carefully. Patients will have to take them whole with a sip of water on an empty stomach after fasting for at least 8 hours. They then need to consume no food or drink for at least 30 minutes.
The most common side effects of Wegovy pills are gastrointestinal disorders including nausea, diarrhoea, constipation and vomiting. The MHRA said that anyone experiencing a side effect from the drug should talk to their doctor, pharmacist or nurse and report it directly to the yellow card scheme.
Naveed Sattar, a professor of cardiometabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, said: “Expanding the range of effective treatments is important in helping people sustainably reduce caloric intakes within an increasingly obesogenic environment. With obesity rates in the UK now at very high levels, and associated with substantial multimorbidity, additional treatment options for sustained weight loss are greatly needed.”
Jason Murphy, the head of pharmacy at Chemist4U ,said the announcement was a “major step forward” in treating obesity, increasing access and enabling “millions more people” to get treatment.
“For those uncomfortable injecting themselves or that find a daily pill more compatible with their life, today’s announcement could be lifechanging,” he said.
“With an estimated 2.5 million people already using weight-loss injections in the UK, we should expect demand for weight-loss pills to be incredibly high and be a major foundation for tackling the obesity crisis.”
Olivier Picard, the chair of the National Pharmacy Association, also welcomed the announcement but said it was not clear when the treatment would be available for patients. He also raised concerns about fake or hidden market drugs. He said: “We are concerned about a growing black market for counterfeit weight-loss treatments, with a tablet form of medication potentially easier for criminals to counterfeit.”
