"Goodbye needles!" Oral Wegovy hits the market—what's the damage?

AI Translated Image

It's a once-daily pill with dosages stepping up from 1.5mg, 4mg, 9mg, to 25mg. The starting dose of 1.5mg costs $149 for a month (approx. 215,000 KRW), which is about $5 a day. From the second stage, it jumps to $199/month. For those without insurance, the max dose can go up to $299/month. The active ingredient is semaglutide, which is approved not only for obesity but also for reducing major cardiovascular risks like death, heart attacks, and strokes. It's significant because it expands the clinical benefits of the Wegovy injection into an oral form.

Now on sale in the US. While the Wegovy shot has an average weight loss effect of around 15%, the pill showed about 13.6%. Side effects are similar to the injection.