Novo's Wegovy pill hits the market with a $149 cash-pay price

Novo Nordisk's oral version of its popular weight loss drug Wegovy is now available for as low as $149 per month for cash payers starting today, the company announced.

This price point includes the two lowest doses of the pill -- the 1.5 mg starting dose and the 4 mg dose. However, the pricing for the 4 mg dose is only temporary and will increase to $199 after April 15.

The two higher doses -- 9 and 25 mg -- will be offered at $299 for a month's supply, the company also said.

Oral Wegovy follows a stepped dosing schedule, beginning with 1.5 mg in the first month, increasing to 4 mg in the second month and 9 mg in the third month, before patients move to a recommended maintenance dose of 25 mg per day.

"Wegovy pill is here, and it represents a significant innovation as the first and only GLP-1 pill for weight loss," Ed Cinca, senior vice president, Marketing & Patient Solutions at Novo Nordisk, said in the company's release.

"This moment is about changing what's possible in weight management, and to make that possible, we have worked to ensure the Wegovy pill is affordable and accessible to those who need it, however they choose to receive their care."

Novo's pricing strategy could put its GLP-1 pill ahead of Eli Lilly's main competitor orforglipron, which is still awaiting FDA approval after both received national priority vouchers last month.

Under a deal made in November with the Trump administration, both drugmakers agreed to offer direct-to-consumer pricing for weight loss drugs at rates comparable to those available in other wealthy nations.

In response, Lilly said it plans to charge as much as $399 per month for its oral GLP-1, though the starting dose is expected to match Wegovy's $149 monthly price.

Alivia Kaylor is a scientist and the senior site editor of Pharma Life Sciences.