After the European Commission gave marketing authorisation for the Wegovy semaglutide pill in July, Germany will be the first country to roll it out.
Scheduled for September, Novo Nordisk announced the launch during its earnings call.
The second half of 2026 should see the GLP-1 pill become available in more EU countries.
“We look forward to launching the Wegovy pill in select countries before the end of the year,” says a spokesperson for Novo Nordisk, though it did not specify which ones.
The UK was the first European country to approve the pill in June, marking a shift that food and beverage manufacturers will be watching closely. It is now available from online pharmacies in the UK, but is still under review by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for use in the NHS.
In a 64-week trial, adults living with obesity, or with overweight and at least one weight-related medical problem, who took the Wegovy pill alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, lost about 33lb, or on average 14% of their starting body weight.
In comparison, adults who took the placebo lost about 6lb, or about 2.4% of their starting body weight. The average starting weights were 235lb and 231lb for the pill and placebo groups, respectively.
As with the injections, there are side-effects that may affect how long people take them for. These include nausea, diarrhoea, constipation and fatigue.
Currently approved for weight-loss and chronic weight management, research on additional benefits of the pill format is promising, meaning that it could expand beyond its current uses.
The more palatable format, lack of need to refrigerate and lower cost means that the pills are likely to significantly increase GLP-1 use in Europe. Both Eli Lilly’s orforglipron (Foundayo) and Novo Nordisk’s pill are approved in the US, but Foundayo is yet to launch in Europe.
With more appetite-suppressed consumers on the near horizon, food and beverage will need to innovate and reformulate to support potentially millions more users.
