By Robin Respaut
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 11 (Reuters) – Among early users of Novo Nordisk’s new Wegovy weight-loss pill, 36% had no prior experience taking a GLP-1 medication, a new nationwide study from the health data firm Truveta found.
Of patients who started a new pill prescription, 21.1% had previously taken the injectable version of Wegovy and 15.8% switched from Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, another injectable GLP-1 medicine, according to Truveta data.
The Wegovy pill is the first oral GLP-1 drug approved to treat chronic weight management, creating a new option for patients and providers who might not want an injectable medicine.
The fast uptake among those without prior experience with GLP-1 drugs shows that the oral medication is reaching new patients rather than just taking market share from the injectables, something analysts and investors have been eager to gauge.
Truveta reviewed health records from 8,762 U.S. patients with evidence of a prescription written or filled for the new Wegovy pill, which won U.S. approval on December 22.
During the first six weeks that the pill has been available to patients, Truveta found that 73.3% of those with prescriptions are female, 72.8% are white and 71.6% live in urban areas. The group also skewed older as 34% were ages 45 to 59 years, and 37.8% were age 60 or older.
The data offers an early glimpse of patients on oral Wegovy, which may change over time.
For example, more patients currently taking injectable GLP-1 medicines may switch to the pill in the coming weeks, after they finish their current supply, Truveta noted.
A rival oral weight-loss medication from Lilly is expected to be approved in April.
Novo is selling lower doses of its daily pill in the United States for $149 per month for self-paying patients, rising to $199 in April.
In January, Truveta reported that prescriptions for GLP-1 therapies now account for over 7% of all prescriptions nationwide.
(Reporting by Robin RespautEditing by Bill Berkrot)
