Novo Nordisk’s high-dose weight-loss pill helped people who were overweight or obese lose 15% of their body weight over the course of a clinical trial.
Their results published in the international medical journal The Lancet, researchers from Denmark and the U.S discovered that taking 50 daily milligrams of an oral version of semaglutide — compared to taking a placebo pill — resulted in an average 15.1% decrease in weight loss after 68 weeks.
The Deseret News has previously reported that semaglutide is the main ingredient in the weight-loss injectables Ozempic and Wegovy.
While all people included in the trial followed a physical activity schedule and diet, those who took the placebo lost an average of 2.4% body weight, CNBC said.
Novo Nordisk has an oral semaglutide weight-loss pill on the market called Rybelsus that’s meant to treat Type 2 diabetes, and its highest dosage amount is 14 milligrams, Reuters said.
Study details
The Associated Press said the 16-month study followed more than 660 adults deemed obese or overweight who had at least one related disease that wasn’t diabetes.
“The weight loss also led to ‘improvements in physical functioning, allowing participants to have an improved quality of life for everyday activities,’ Dr. Filip Knop, an endocrinology professor at the University of Copenhagen, who worked on the study, said in a statement,” per CNBC.
The oral semaglutide had some side effects, including “mild to moderate intestinal problems, such as nausea, constipation and diarrhea,” AP said.
Reuters reported, “Novo plans to seek U.S. and European regulatory approval of the high-dose pill later this year, but timing of a market launch is ‘to be determined,’ according to Mico Guevarra, medical director at Novo Nordisk.”
What is semaglutide?
“Semaglutide mimics a hormone produced in the gut called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when a person is full,” CNBC reported.
The drug also activates hormones that help to regulate blood sugar, slow stomach-emptying and decrease appetite, Reuters added.
“People with obesity will be ‘thrilled’ to have an oral option that’s as effective, said Dr. Katherine Saunders, clinical professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Health and co-founder of Intellihealth, a company that focuses on obesity treatment,” per the AP.
Dr. Marcus Shabacker, CEO of the independent nonprofit ECRI, which looks at the safety, quality and cost-effectiveness of health care, told the Deseret News that semaglutide-based medicines “need to be part of a well-thought-out therapy plan which includes dietary changes, lifestyle changes, exercise, access to healthy food, as well as drugs.”