EMA Backs Novo Nordisk's Oral Wegovy, Paving Way for First Pill of Its Kind in Europe

The European Medicines Agency backed Novo Nordisk’s weight-loss pill Wegovy on Friday, paving the way for it to be the first oral drug of its kind in Europe.

The tablet will be available with a prescription for adults with obesity or those who are overweight with at least one weight-related other health condition.

So far, only injectable weight-loss drugs have been available in Europe. The injectable version of Wegovy was approved in January 2022 — other weight-loss jabs available in the EU include Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro and Novo’s Saxenda.

Unlike the weekly Wegovy shot, the tablet is only recommended for adults and has to be taken daily. But the pills "offer an oral alternative to weekly subcutaneous injections that may be more convenient for some patients," the EMA said.

Studies have shown that Wegovy pills can help patients lose on average 13.6 percent of their body weight.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the oral version of Wegovy in December 2025, and its competitor, Eli Lilly’s pill Foundayo, in April.

The European Commission must now rubber-stamp the EMA’s decision for the Wegovy pill to be officially approved — usually within a few months.