European Commission approves Wegovy pill, first oral GLP-1 for weight management in the EU

On July 15, 2026, the European Commission approved the Wegovy pill, once-daily oral semaglutide 25 mg, for weight management in adults, making it the first oral GLP-1 treatment cleared for use across the European Union ^[2][4]. The same decision approved a single-dose, ready-to-use pen for the higher-dose Wegovy 7.2 mg injection ^[1][4].

The pill approval covers adults with a body mass index of at least 30, or at least 27 with at least one weight-related health condition, used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity ^[2][4]. Novo Nordisk said it follows a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency's human medicines committee in May 2026, and is the fifth regulatory approval for the pill, after the US, the UK, the UAE and Bahrain ^[4].

What the trial data show

Novo Nordisk said the pill approval is based on the OASIS program, including OASIS 4, a 64-week phase 3b trial of once-daily oral semaglutide 25 mg against placebo in 307 adults with obesity or overweight plus at least one weight-related condition ^[4]. In that trial, people taking the drug lost about 17% of their body weight on average, compared with about 3% on placebo, and around one in three lost 20% or more ^[4]. The company said side effects were in line with the known profile of injectable semaglutide, with 6.9% of people on the pill and 5.9% on placebo stopping treatment because of side effects ^[2][4].

Novo Nordisk's figures for the same study differ slightly by document. Its July 15 announcement describes approximately 17% mean weight loss ^[4], while its financial report for the first half of 2026 describes OASIS 4 as showing up to 16.6% mean weight loss ^[1]. The reason for the difference has not been disclosed; both figures come from the same trial.

For the 7.2 mg pen, Novo Nordisk cited STEP UP data showing up to 20.7% mean weight loss ^[1], and said the pen delivers 21% weight loss ^[4].

Availability and US numbers

The Wegovy pill is already sold in the US, the UK and the UAE ^[2][4]. Novo Nordisk said US prescriptions for the pill exceeded 265,000 in the week ending July 17, 2026, with more than 5 million filled since launch; total US Wegovy prescriptions that week were around 575,000 ^[1]. The company says it plans to launch the pill in more countries in the second half of 2026 ^[2][4]. Which European countries will get it first, and what it will cost, has not been disclosed. Oral semaglutide is also sold as Rybelsus for type 2 diabetes ^[1].

Eli Lilly's oral candidate orforglipron, sold as Foundayo, has not yet cleared the EU regulatory pathway ^[2].

"Today's European Commission approval of Wegovy as a once-daily pill brings another important treatment option to people living with obesity," CEO Mike Doustdar said, adding that a tablet may be simpler and more acceptable for some patients than injections ^[4].

Why it matters for patients

For US readers, this decision does not change what is available at home. The Wegovy pill is already on the US market ^[2][4], and the company's own figures show it is being prescribed widely ^[1]. What the EU approval does is add a third form of the same drug in Europe, alongside the 2.4 mg and 7.2 mg injections ^[1][4]. Doustdar's statement points to the practical reason that matters: some people prefer not to inject ^[4].

The trial averages are not predictions for any one person. In OASIS 4, roughly one in fifteen people on the pill stopped because of side effects ^[4], and about 3% weight loss occurred in the placebo group ^[4].

EU approval is not the same as coverage. Whether national health systems or insurers in EU countries will pay for the pill has not been reported, and no European price has been disclosed ^[2][4].

What happens next

Novo Nordisk says the roll-out of the Wegovy 7.2 mg single-dose pen across the EU is planned for the second half of 2026 ^[1]. That pen launched in the UK in June 2026, and a 7.2 mg version launched in the US in April 2026 ^[1]. Additional Wegovy pill launches in other markets are also planned in the second half of 2026, though the company has not named the countries ^[2][4].