Big News in a Small Pill: Oral GLP-1 Meds Are Coming

For a lot of people, GLP-1 medications like Wegovy and Ozempic have felt like a helpful tool, but for others the needles can be a little intimidating or the cost may be out of reach. Now, these highly effective medications are rolling out in a daily pill form, bringing their tremendous weight loss and health benefits to even more people.

GLP-1 medications work by mimicking a natural hormone that helps regulate appetite and blood sugar. They slow digestion, help you feel full longer, and can quiet constant hunger cues.

Until now, the delivery has been through a weekly shot, but that’s changing.

Novo Nordisk is first out of the gate with an obesity pill that uses semaglutide, the same active ingredient found in Wegovy and Ozempic. It’s also the ingredient in Rybelsus, the company’s oral medication for Type 2 diabetes that’s been approved since 2019. The big difference? Dose. The new daily obesity pill contains more semaglutide than Rybelsus, which is why it was studied specifically for weight loss.

So far, researchers have found that people taking the daily 25 mg semaglutide pill lost an average of 16.6% of their body weight over about 64 weeks. That’s right in line with the results doctors are seeing from the injectable Wegovy.

Other companies are close behind with their own oral GLP-1 options, including pills like orforglipron, which has shown promising results in clinical trials. At its highest dose, patients lost an average of 12.4% of their body weight over 72 weeks. While that’s not quite as strong as the injectable medications currently on the market, it still represents significant progress for a pill-based option.

These medications are taken daily instead of weekly, which may feel more familiar for people who already take daily prescriptions. Both medications have so far shown to have the same potential side effects like nausea and diarrhea.

The hope is that pills could make GLP-1 medications more accessible and, over time, more affordable. They’re easier to store, don’t require injections, and may open the door for people who’ve wanted help but weren’t ready for a shot.

That said, pills, just like injectables, aren’t a shortcut. Side effects can still happen, they may not work for everyone, and medication works best alongside healthy nutrition, movement, and ongoing medical guidance.

At Baton Rouge General, we see weight management and health as personal, not one-size-fits-all. These new oral options aren’t available just yet, but they’re coming. And for many people, that could make starting — and sticking with — treatment a whole lot easier.