Novo data show 21.6% weight loss with Wegovy pill in early responders

Novo Nordisk reported that its Wegovy pill produced 21.6% weight loss among people who responded early to treatment and doubled improvement on mobility measures, according to data presented May 13, 2026 at the European Congress on Obesity ^[1].

The Wegovy pill is oral semaglutide 25 mg. The FDA approved it on Dec. 22, 2025, as the first oral GLP-1 for weight loss in adults ^[1]. According to the product labeling, the tablets are taken once daily on an empty stomach, along with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, to reduce excess weight and maintain weight loss in adults with obesity, or in adults with overweight who have at least one weight-related condition ^[1]. The pill is sold in 1.5 mg, 4 mg, 9 mg and 25 mg strengths ^[1].

What the numbers do and do not cover

The 21.6% figure describes a subgroup — people the analyses call early responders. How early response was defined, how many people were in that group and how non-responders were handled have not been reported. The mobility finding was described as a doubling of improvement; the specific mobility measures used and the size of the change in absolute terms also have not been reported.

The new figure is higher than an earlier result for the same pill. On Sept. 17, 2025, Novo reported that oral semaglutide 25 mg delivered 16.6% weight loss in people with obesity ^[1]. The two numbers come from different analyses and different patient groups, so they are not directly comparable, and the design and size of the analysis behind the 21.6% result have not been disclosed.

Novo presented other obesity data at the same meeting. On May 12, 2026, the company reported that a higher-dose Wegovy injection, Wegovy HD 7.2 mg, produced nearly 28% weight loss in early responders ^[1]. Wegovy HD was approved by the FDA on March 19, 2026 ^[1]. Also on May 12, Novo presented data on Wegovy in women across menopause stages ^[1]. Separately, on April 2, 2026, the company said an indirect comparison found the Wegovy pill produced greater weight loss than orforglipron and lower odds of stopping medication because of side effects, with that analysis slated for presentation at the Obesity Medicine Association 2026 meeting ^[1]. The comparison was described as indirect, and its methods have not been reported.

Why it matters for patients

For adults weighing a weekly injection against a daily pill, the new analyses add to a growing set of company-sponsored results on oral semaglutide. The pill's approved uses are narrower than the injection's in one respect: the tablet is approved for weight loss and for reducing cardiovascular risk, while the Wegovy injection also carries approvals for MASH and for patients aged 12 and older with obesity ^[1].

Both forms carry a boxed warning for increased risk of thyroid C-cell tumors. Labeled warnings include acute pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, low blood sugar, kidney injury, increased heart rate, suicidal behavior and ideation, and pulmonary aspiration during general anesthesia or deep sedation ^[1]. Common side effects reported in at least 5% of patients include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, abdominal pain, headache and fatigue ^[1].

Because the 21.6% result applies to early responders, it is not an average across everyone who starts the pill and does not predict what any one person will lose. Novo announced a significant reduction in the US list price of Wegovy, Ozempic and Rybelsus on Feb. 24, 2026, and launched a multi-month subscription program on March 31, 2026, which it said offers savings of up to $1,200 a year ^[1]. Exact prices under the reduced list price have not been reported.

What happens next

The results were presented as conference analyses, not as a new FDA submission. Whether Novo plans to publish them in a peer-reviewed journal, and whether they will support any change to the pill's label, has not been disclosed. No new approval or labeling change tied to these analyses has been announced ^[1].