Wegovy pill passes 3 million US prescriptions; Doustdar says he is 'a lot more optimistic'

Novo Nordisk told the American Diabetes Association's 2026 Scientific Sessions in New Orleans that its oral Wegovy pill has surpassed 3 million prescriptions in the United States since its January 5, 2026 launch ^[1]. The company said more than 80% of those prescriptions went to obesity patients who were new to the GLP-1 drug class, meaning they had not previously used an injectable version of semaglutide or a competing drug ^[1].

CEO Mike Doustdar, speaking with Fierce Pharma near the conference, called the milestone proof of momentum even as rival Eli Lilly's own GLP-1 pill, Foundayo, entered the market months after Wegovy's pill did ^[1]. "In light of competition having arrived—if that's not acceleration, I don't know what is," Doustdar said ^[1]. He also said Novo's manufacturing capacity is now "second to none," a notable claim after years of supply shortages that had limited access to semaglutide products ^[1].

Doustdar became Novo's CEO in August 2025, succeeding longtime leader Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen after a stretch in which Novo's share price fell amid competition from Lilly's Zepbound (tirzepatide), supply shortfalls, and the growth of a compounded GLP-1 market ^[1]. Nine months into the job, Doustdar told Fierce he is "a lot more optimistic" about Novo's position than when he started ^[1].

Novo has pitched Wegovy, and its oral pill version, as more than a weight-loss drug, pointing to its indication for reducing cardiovascular risk, a claim the company says sets it apart from Zepbound, which instead carries a secondary indication for obstructive sleep apnea ^[1]. Doustdar acknowledged that this "beyond weight" message may have cost Novo market ground earlier on, when patients and investors were more focused on raw weight-loss numbers, but he said the company has adjusted its messaging to "weight and beyond" ^[1].

Not every part of Novo's pipeline had a strong showing at the conference. Earlier this year, a head-to-head Phase 3 trial of Novo's next-generation drug CagriSema against Lilly's tirzepatide showed CagriSema underperforming: at 84 weeks, the highest CagriSema dose produced 23% average weight loss compared with 25.5% for the tirzepatide dose used in the study ^[1]. Novo filed for FDA approval of CagriSema in December 2025, and a decision is expected later in 2026 ^[1]. Doustdar said he remains confident in the drug despite the numbers, arguing the field has become "obsessed with one number" instead of the full range of benefits a treatment can offer ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

For patients who have been reluctant to start an injectable GLP-1 drug, the prescription numbers suggest the oral Wegovy pill is reaching a large share of people who are new to this drug class rather than simply replacing existing prescriptions ^[1]. That could matter for people who prefer a pill over a weekly injection, though the sources here do not include data on cost, insurance coverage, or how oral and injectable versions compare in effectiveness or side effects.

Novo's claim that manufacturing is now "second to none" points to easing supply concerns that affected patients trying to fill semaglutide prescriptions in prior years ^[1]. Whether that translates into more consistent pharmacy availability nationwide is not detailed in the available reporting.

The CagriSema trial results are a reminder that not every new GLP-1-related drug in development outperforms existing options in head-to-head testing, even when a company remains confident in the product ^[1]. Patients considering future options may want to watch for the FDA's decision on CagriSema, expected later in 2026 ^[1].

What happens next

The FDA is expected to rule on Novo's CagriSema application sometime in 2026, following the company's December 2025 submission ^[1]. No specific date for that decision is given in the available reporting.