Novo Nordisk In Green After Oral Wegovy Clocks Over 18K Prescriptions In A Week

• Reuters noted that oral Wegovy’s debut is stronger than observed with Novo’s injectable Wegovy or its rival Eli Lilly and Company’s Zepbound. 
• Novo’s rival Lilly, meanwhile, is looking forward to getting FDA approval for its oral obesity drug Orforglipron by April.

Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk’s (NVO) Wegovy pill reportedly hit over 18,000 U.S. prescriptions in the first full week after its launch, marking a strong start for the oral weight-loss pill.  

Reuters reported on Friday, citing IQVIA data shared by analysts, that Novo’s weight-loss pill was prescribed 18,410 times in the week ended January 16. As per the report, this is a stronger debut than observed with Novo’s injectable Wegovy or its rival Eli Lilly and Company’s Zepbound.

Last week, it was reported that the Wegovy pill hit 3,071 U.S. prescriptions in just the first four days after its launch on Jan 5.

NVO shares traded marginally in the green on Friday at the time of writing.

Wegovy Pill Approval

Oral obesity pills are expected to be the next major innovation in the obesity market, doing away with needles and offering customers more flexibility and ease.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Wegovy pill to reduce body weight and maintain weight reduction for a longer term in December.

The Wegovy pill is now the first FDA-approved oral GLP-1 class drug for weight management and marks a crucial step forward for the company in its ongoing efforts to protect market share from rival Eli Lilly, whose injectable GLP-1 drug Zepbound is fast taking over Wegovy’s market dominance. The company launched the Wegovy pill earlier this month, starting at $149 a month.

Novo’s rival Lilly, meanwhile, is looking forward to getting FDA approval for its oral obesity drug Orforglipron by April. Novo now has a few months’ head start against Lilly to cement its customer base.

On Thursday, Goldman Sachs raised its price target on Novo Nordisk to DKK 436 from DKK 352 while keeping a ‘Buy’ rating on the shares. The firm believes investor focus in the first half of 2026 will be the launch for Novo's Wegovy pill. The weight loss pill should contribute to positive earnings momentum in the near term, the analyst told investors, as per TheFly.

How Did Stocktwits Users React?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around NVO stock stayed within the ‘bullish’ territory, while message volume fell from ‘high’ to ‘normal’ levels.

NVO shares have fallen 23% over the past 12 months.

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