NVO Stock Jumps 3% As EU Approves Oral Wegovy Pill — Retail Notes LLY Is ‘Clearly Behind’ Its Danish Counterpart

• The European Commission also approved a convenient single-dose pen for the higher 7.2 mg injectable dose of Wegovy.
• Novo Nordisk plans to launch the oral pill in more countries in the second half of 2026.
• Rival Eli Lilly’s oral weight loss pill is yet to be approved in the EU.

Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk (NVO) announced on Wednesday that the European Commission has approved once-daily oral Wegovy for weight management in adults with obesity or overweight and at least one weight-related health condition. The approval makes Wegovy the first oral GLP-1 therapy authorized for weight management in the European Union.

Shares of NVO jumped 2.5% at the time of writing.

Fresh Approval, New Markets

The oral version is now cleared in all EU member states, marking its fifth regulatory approval worldwide after the US, UK, UAE, and Bahrain. The European Commission also approved a convenient single-dose pen for the higher 7.2 mg injectable dose of Wegovy.

The approval is based on the OASIS clinical program. In the main study, patients on the 25 mg oral dose plus lifestyle changes lost an average of 17% of their body weight, compared with 3% on placebo. About one in three participants achieved 20% or greater weight loss. Side effects leading to treatment discontinuation were similar to those seen with placebo and consistent with the well-known injectable form.

Novo Nordisk plans to launch the oral pill in more countries in the second half of 2026.

US Approval And Uptake

The FDA approved oral Wegovy in late December, with launch in early January 2026. It has seen rapid adoption, surpassing 3 million prescriptions by June 2026. More than 80% of new prescriptions went to patients new to GLP-1 therapy.

In comparison, rival Eli Lilly's oral weight-loss pill, Foundayo, received FDA approval on April 1. Lilly has begun global regulatory submissions for the drug, explicitly including the European Union, as part of coordinated filings across major markets.

Oral weight loss drugs are expected to be the next big advancement in the obesity drug marketplace, as patients look for easier forms of administering the drug than injectables.

How Did NVO Retail Traders React?

According to data from Stocktwits, retail sentiment around NVO stock stayed within the ‘bearish’ territory over the past 24 hours, while message volume remained at ‘low’ levels.

A Stocktwits user voiced optimism for Novo expanding the Wegovy pill to more markets this year.

Another user voiced hopes for a further rally.

A third user opined that LLY is overpriced and noted that the American drugmaker’s oral weight-loss pill is “clearly behind” Novo’s.

NVO stock has fallen 1% year-to-date. 

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