Novo Nordisk said first-quarter 2026 sales of its oral obesity treatment known as “oral Wegovy” reached about $400 million in the United States, signaling a strong market debut following its launch in January.
During a conference call on May 5 (local time), the company said sales of the oral Wegovy tablet totaled $355 million, more than double market consensus estimates.
Within roughly three months of launch, cumulative prescriptions for oral Wegovy surpassed 2 million, while the number of patients using the drug exceeded 1 million. Weekly prescriptions also topped 200,000 as of last month, highlighting rapidly growing demand for oral GLP-1 therapies.
Despite the strong launch, injectable formulations still account for the majority of sales. Injectable Wegovy generated approximately $2.6 billion in revenue during the same period.
Novo Nordisk reported total first-quarter revenue of $15.2 billion and operating profit of $8.6 billion, both exceeding market expectations. However, excluding one-time factors such as reversals of 340B-related provisions, adjusted revenue and operating profit fell 4% and 6%, respectively, reflecting ongoing pricing pressure in the U.S. market.
The company slightly raised its full-year outlook to reflect growing adoption of oral GLP-1 treatments. Novo Nordisk expects the oral obesity drug market to enter a full-scale growth phase as insurance coverage expands and prescriptions continue to rise.
The company also said it has submitted oral Wegovy to the European Medicines Agency and other global regulatory authorities, with plans to launch the product outside the United States in the second half of 2026.
Novo Nordisk did not disclose whether it has filed for approval with South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety or provide a timeline for a domestic launch. Industry observers expect a phased rollout in additional markets as global approval procedures advance.
