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Alternative to Rybelsus · Tablet

Wegovy pill

The Wegovy pill is a once-daily oral semaglutide tablet licensed for weight management, with a 25 mg maintenance dose. It contains the same active ingredient as Rybelsus but is a separate product with a higher dose and a weight-management licence. In the US it is also approved to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events in adults with established cardiovascular disease and obesity or overweight.

Rybelsus vs Wegovy pill: full comparison

Wegovy pill
Medicine
semaglutide (oral)
Made by
Novo Nordisk
Form
Tablet, once daily
Class
GLP-1 receptor agonist
Licensed for
Weight management; cardiovascular risk reduction
Strengths
1.5 mg · 4 mg · 9 mg · 25 mg
First approved
22 December 2025US (FDA)

Key facts

  • FDA approved on 22 December 2025 (NDA 218316) and launched in the US on 5 January 2026. It shares one US prescribing information document with Wegovy injection.
  • MHRA approved it on 11 June 2026. The CHMP gave a positive opinion on 21 May 2026 and the European Commission granted authorisation on 14 July 2026 (announced by Novo Nordisk on 15 July 2026) as an extension of the existing Wegovy licence.
  • UK and EU licence: adults with a BMI of 30 or more, or 27 or more with at least one weight-related condition, alongside a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity. The US tablet label also includes cardiovascular risk reduction in adults with established cardiovascular disease and obesity or overweight.
  • Titration: 1.5 mg once daily for 30 days, then 4 mg, then 9 mg, each for 30 days, then 25 mg once daily from day 91 as the maintenance dose.
  • In the OASIS 4 trial (64 weeks, 307 adults without diabetes) mean weight change was -13.6% with 25 mg vs -2.4% with placebo (FDA label analysis; the NEJM paper reports -13.6% vs -2.2%).
  • Taken like Rybelsus: on an empty stomach in the morning with up to 4 oz (120 ml) of water, swallowed whole, then wait at least 30 minutes before food, drink or other oral medicines. UK and EU labels add a fast of at least 8 hours before the dose.
  • Not interchangeable with Rybelsus or Ozempic tablets even though some strengths share the same numbers, and it should not be combined with any other semaglutide or GLP-1 medicine.
  • People on Wegovy 2.4 mg weekly injections can switch to 25 mg tablets, starting one week after the last injection, according to the US label.
  • US labelling carries a boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumours seen in rodents; the UK and EU labels have no boxed warning.
  • Not available on the NHS at authorisation; any NHS use depends on a NICE evaluation. An earlier NICE appraisal of oral semaglutide for obesity (ID6188) was discontinued in 2025.

Where Wegovy pill is available

CountryStatusNotes
US United States Available Oral semaglutide for weight management (1.5 mg, 4 mg, 9 mg, 25 mg), FDA-approved on 22 December 2025 and launched in early January 2026. Self-pay $149 (1.5 mg), $199 (4 mg; $149 until 31 August 2026), $299 (9 mg and 25 mg) a month. Covered by the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge for eligible people from 1 July 2026.
UK United Kingdom Availableas Wegovy tablets (Wegovy pill) Oral semaglutide 1.5 mg, 4 mg, 9 mg and 25 mg for weight management, authorised by the MHRA on 11 June 2026 and sold privately by UK online pharmacies since the summer of 2026, typically from about £80 a month for the 1.5 mg starting dose to £155 to £270 for 25 mg, depending on the provider. Not available on the NHS; NICE has not published guidance.
CA Canada Unconfirmed Not approved in Canada as of 22 September 2026, and we could not confirm whether Novo Nordisk has filed for it here. Health Canada does not confirm individual filings; its Submissions Under Review list (updated 31 July 2026) shows a supplemental semaglutide submission from Novo Nordisk Canada accepted in January 2026 but does not name the product, so it may or may not be the Wegovy pill.
AU Australia Not approved No Wegovy tablet is on the ARTG as of 22 September 2026. The TGA's public list of applications under evaluation only covers new medicines, new combinations and new indications, so an application for a new oral form of semaglutide would not necessarily appear on it; we could not confirm whether one has been lodged.
IE Ireland Approved, not launchedas Wegovy tablets Wegovy tablets (1.5 mg, 4 mg, 9 mg and 25 mg) for weight management were added to the EU marketing authorisation for Wegovy by a European Commission decision dated 14 July 2026, after a positive CHMP opinion on 21 May 2026, so they are authorised in Ireland. As of 22 September 2026 Novo Nordisk had not announced an Irish launch date and we found no Irish pharmacy supplying them.
NZ New Zealand Unconfirmed Not available in New Zealand as of 22 September 2026; there is no Medsafe data sheet for Wegovy tablets, and Life Pharmacy says GLP-1 medicines are only available here as injections. We could not check Medsafe's application database for a pending application.
DE Germany Availableas Wegovy tablets EU authorisation July 2026; on sale in German pharmacies since 1 September 2026, the first EU country. Pharmacy price EUR 172.73 (1.5 mg or 4 mg), EUR 233.23 (9 mg) and EUR 277.60 (25 mg) per 30 tablets. Self-pay: excluded from GKV as a weight-loss medicine.
FR France Approved, not launchedas Wegovy tablets Covered by the EU authorisation of July 2026, but no tablet presentation was in the French public medicines database and no French launch date had been announced on 22 September 2026.
ES Spain Approved, not launchedas Wegovy 25 mg comprimidos Authorised (EU decision July 2026) and listed as not marketed in the AEMPS database; the Ministry of Health records it as not financed by the SNS from 1 September 2026.
IT Italy Approved, not launchedas Wegovy tablets Covered by the EU authorisation of July 2026, but the AIFA medicines database listed no Wegovy tablet pack and no Italian launch date had been announced on 22 September 2026.
NL Netherlands Approved, not launchedas Wegovy tablets Covered by the EU authorisation of July 2026, but not listed on medicijnkosten.nl (data to 1 September 2026) and described as not yet available by at least one online service on 22 September 2026. No Dutch launch date found.
AE United Arab Emirates Availableas Wegovy Approved by the Emirates Drug Establishment and launched on 3 June 2026, the first launch outside the US, for weight management and to reduce cardiovascular risk in adults with obesity or overweight. Pharmacies list 1.5 mg, 4 mg, 9 mg and 25 mg tablets in packs of 30 at AED 779, 779, 1,199 and 1,610.
IN India Unconfirmed We found no CDSCO approval or Indian launch of oral semaglutide 25 mg for weight management as of 22 September 2026.
SG Singapore Unconfirmed We found no HSA approval announcement or Singapore launch of oral semaglutide 25 mg for weight management as of 22 September 2026; HSA's product register was not accessible to us.
ZA South Africa Not approved No oral semaglutide 25 mg (Wegovy pill) product appears on the SAHPRA register of health products (checked 22 September 2026).

Sources

  1. Drugs@FDA: NDA 218316 (Wegovy tablets) accessdata.fda.gov
  2. FDA: Wegovy injection and tablets prescribing information (S-007, 06/2026) accessdata.fda.gov
  3. Novo Nordisk: FDA approves Wegovy pill (2025-12-22) prnewswire.com
  4. Novo Nordisk: Wegovy pill now broadly available across America (2026-01-05) prnewswire.com
  5. GOV.UK (MHRA): First GLP-1 tablet for weight loss approved in the UK (2026-06-11) gov.uk
  6. emc: Wegovy tablets SmPC (UK) medicines.org.uk
  7. EMA: Wegovy procedural steps taken and scientific information after authorisation ema.europa.eu
  8. EMA: Wegovy product information ema.europa.eu
  9. Novo Nordisk: European Commission approval of Wegovy pill (2026-07-15) globenewswire.com
  10. Wharton S et al. Oral Semaglutide at a Dose of 25 mg in Adults with Overweight or Obesity (OASIS 4). N Engl J Med 2025;393:1077-1087 nejm.org
  11. NICE: Oral semaglutide for managing overweight and obesity (ID6188) - discontinued nice.org.uk