Novo Nordisk said Wednesday that demand for its Wegovy pill got off to a strong start after it launched in the U.S. in early January.
By Jan. 23 — less than three weeks after it became available — about 50,000 prescriptions were being filled each week, according to the drugmaker. In total, more than 170,000 people are taking the drug.
Roughly 9 in 10 of those prescriptions were paid for out of pocket, rather than through insurance.
Most of the prescriptions so far have been for the lowest dose, also known as the starter dose, which is typically used by people just beginning weight loss treatment.
On a call with investors Wednesday, David Moore, president of Novo Nordisk U.S., said early uptake of the Wegovy pill was more than twice that of any previous weight loss drug launch in the United States.
“Most prescriptions appear to be patients new to these medications,” he said.
The numbers offer the first glimpse of demand for a GLP-1 weight loss pill. The Food and Drug Administration approved the Wegovy pill in late December.
The demand comes as the GLP-1 market grows more crowded, with pills and newer injectable drugs that can lead to greater weight loss. Another weight loss pill, from Eli Lilly, is expected to be approved in the coming months.
The Wegovy pill comes at a much lower price than the injectable version. The starter dose costs $149 a month for people paying in cash, compared with about $349 a month for the injectable form.
A study published Wednesday in JAMA Cardiology found semaglutide — the ingredient in Wegovy and the diabetes drug Ozempic — could substantially reduce heart attacks and strokes among U.S. adults if offered at a lower price. The study looked at the injectable versions of the drugs, not pills.
Dr. Susan Spratt, an endocrinologist and senior medical director for the Population Health Management Office at Duke Health in North Carolina, said the lower prices and pill form of Wegovy will make the treatment more widely accessible.
Studies have shown that the medications don’t just help treat diabetes and obesity, they also reduce the risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S., she said. Along with weight loss, the Wegovy pill was also approved to reduce the risk of heart disease.
“I am very heartened by the news that so many people have started them,” she said.
On the call, Novo Nordisk said some of the early demand for the pill may be coming from patients who were previously using compounded versions of the injectable drugs, which often cost less than brand-name versions. (Compounded drugs are made by pharmacists and are essentially a copy of brand-name drugs.) Last year, the FDA declared shortages of semaglutide over, requiring compounding pharmacists to stop making copycat versions of the drugs.
The drugmaker said Wednesday it’s “confident” it will be able to maintain supply of the pill in the U.S.