FDA approves first weight-loss pill...

In its announcement, the Danish drugmaker said it expects the pill to be launched in the United States in early January, starting at $149 a month for the first dose. “The pill is here. With today’s approval of the Wegovy pill, patients will have a convenient, once-daily pill that can help them lose as much weight as the original Wegovy injection,” Novo Nordisk CEO Mike Doustdar said in a statement. “As the first oral GLP-1 treatment for people living with overweight or obesity, the Wegovy pill provides patients with a new, convenient treatment option that can help patients start or continue their weight loss journey. No other current oral GLP-1 treatment can match the weight loss delivered by the Wegovy pill, and we are very excited for what this will mean for patients in the U.S.,” he added. The company said the weight loss achieved by those who used the Wegovy pill in tests was equivalent to that experienced by those using the Wegovy injections. Both contain the same ingredient, semaglutide. THE ORIGIN STORY OF THE ‘FAT SHOT’ The use of Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs has been embraced by President Donald Trump and much of his administration, which has sought to lower the cost of the drug and expand its use to combat the obesity epidemic that has seized the country in recent decades. As part of that mission, Trump recently struck deals with Novo Nordisk and fellow pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly to lower prices for their weight loss and diabetes medications, as well as expand coverage for them under Medicare.