Danish pharmaceutical manufacturer Novo Nordisk on Dec. 22 announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Wegovy pill (once-daily oral semaglutide 25 mg) to reduce excess body weight and maintain weight reduction long term and to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events.

This news could be significant for the dairy industry. Many consumers who take GLP-1 receptor agonist medications turn to dairy products to supplement their diet, including the plethora of protein dairy products can provide. As Dairy Foods has reported on several occasions, GLP-1 medicines and the related health and wellness trend have been a significant factor driving sales of yogurt and cottage cheese.

“The pill is here. With today's approval of the Wegovy pill, patients will have a convenient, once-daily pill that can help them lose as much weight as the original Wegovy injection,” said Mike Doustdar, president and CEO of Novo Nordisk. “As the first oral GLP-1 treatment for people living with overweight or obesity, the Wegovy pill provides patients with a new, convenient treatment option that can help patients start or continue their weight loss journey. No other current oral GLP-1 treatment can match the weight loss delivered by the Wegovy pill, and we are very excited for what this will mean for patients in the U.S."

Novo Nordisk expects to launch the Wegovy pill in the U.S. in early January 2026. Novo Nordisk has submitted oral semaglutide 25 mg once-daily for obesity to the European Medicines Agency and other regulatory authorities during the second half of 2025.

The Wegovy pill is the first oral glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist therapy approved for weight management. The approval is based on the OASIS trial programme and the SELECT trial. In the OASIS 4 trial, oral semaglutide 25 mg taken once daily demonstrated 16.6% mean weight loss when treatment was adhered to in adult participants with obesity or overweight with one or more comorbidities, according to Novo Nordisk.