Novo Pharmaceuticals presented real-world data on Wednesday showing that patients who transitioned from obesity injection treatments to its newly approved Wegovy pill maintained and further improved their weight loss outcomes. The analysis, drawn from telehealth platform Ro’s patient population of 194 individuals with obesity or overweight status, tracked those who had initially been prescribed either Novo’s Wegovy injection or Eli Lilly’s competing treatment Zepbound before switching to oral Wegovy.
Patients who remained on the pill treatment for three months experienced an average weight loss of approximately 4% of body weight, translating to roughly 8.8 additional pounds based on a mean starting weight of around 221 pounds. Among the analyzed cohort, 40% achieved weight loss of 5% or greater during the same period. The proportion of participants whose body mass index fell below the obesity threshold of 30 increased by more than 21% following the switch to the pill formulation.
The company noted that approximately 82% of patients with available data reported at least one measurable improvement while using the pill, including nearly 70% who reported better-fitting clothing and about half who indicated they adopted healthier eating patterns. Around 75% expressed satisfaction with the transition from injectable to oral treatment. Novo’s chief scientific officer suggested the pill offers comparable safety and tolerability profiles to injections while potentially delivering superior weight loss results, and noted patient preference for oral medications over weekly injections, particularly among those who travel frequently.
Novo acknowledged several analytical limitations, including variable data collection timing during routine telehealth encounters, the reliance on self-reported information subject to bias, and questions about whether findings apply broadly to the general population. The presentation represents among the first real-world evidence examining weight loss outcomes for patients transitioning from blockbuster obesity injections to newer pill options. The company also unveiled findings on its experimental combination drug CagriSema, which demonstrated effects on brain activity related to food cravings and showed improvements in organ and bone health metrics in people with obesity or overweight status.
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