Novo Nordisk (NVO.US) launches clinical study of low-dose Wegovy oral medication targeting a wider range of weight loss groups

The Zhitong Finance App learned that Novo Nordisk (NVO.US) is testing a low-dose version of its blockbuster Wegovy weight loss oral medication in a new study. The study will help determine what level the patient's minimum dosage can be reduced to while still achieving weight loss results.

According to research instructions published by the US government database on Tuesday, this trial, which began on August 12 and is scheduled to recruit 450 people, will test two low-dose tablets that have not yet been announced, and compare them with placebo. Novo Nordisk recruited patients in this low-dose study had a BMI of at least 27. This level falls under the category of “overweight” as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Most weight loss drug studies try to get patients to use the highest possible dosage of drugs to determine a baseline of the effects these drugs can achieve. But in the real world, patients tend to stick to lower doses. Some patients may have trouble tolerating drug side effects or simply find lower doses effective enough. Other patients will adopt “microdosing,” and some telemedicine companies in the US are even promoting such drugs to people who are not overweight.

Since its launch in the US in January of this year, Novo Nordisk's Wegovy weight loss oral medication has received more than 5 million prescriptions, rapidly gaining market share in the competitive weight loss drug market. According to BMO Capital Markets analyst Evan Segman, more than two-thirds of patients are currently using the lowest two doses of Wegovy for weight loss. In the US, for self-funded patients, the price of the two lowest doses of Wegovy's weight loss oral medication is also about half the price of the top two doses.

According to Novo Nordisk's financial report released at the beginning of this month, adjusted sales for the second quarter increased 7% year on year to 78.488 billion Danish kroner (about US$12.09 billion), better than market expectations of 11.35 billion US dollars; adjusted operating profit increased 11% year over year to 33.389 billion Danish kroner, which was also better than market expectations.

Among them, the much-publicized Wegovy weight-loss oral medicine had sales of DKK 3.22 billion in the second quarter, slightly lower than the market's forecast of DKK 3.27 billion. At a time when Novo Nordisk is trying to take back market share of weight loss drugs from LLY.US (LLY.US), the rapid growth of Wegovy's weight loss oral medication in the early days of marketing made investors expect it to lead to explosive growth. However, the latest results have raised market concerns about the company's long-term competitiveness.

In response, Novo Nordisk CEO Mike Doustdar explained that the increase in demand for Wegovy's oral weight loss pills was offset by lower prices. He also said that the next market for Wegovy's weight loss oral medication will be Germany, the largest pharmaceutical market in Europe. Mike Doustd said in a statement: “The Wegovy product portfolio remains Novo Nordisk's key growth driver in 2026. The rapid adoption of Wegovy's weight loss oral medication in the US market is a major driving factor. At the same time, early promotion performance in markets outside the US is encouraging. The launch of a high-dose version of Wegovy will further drive growth.”