COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -Novo Nordisk’s trial of the oral version of its weight-loss drug semaglutide has shown statistically significant and superior weight loss when compared to a placebo, the drugmaker said on Monday.
Novo expects to file an application for regulatory approval in the United States and the European Union in 2023, it said.
The global launch of oral semaglutide 50 mg is contingent on portfolio prioritisations and manufacturing capacity, the drugmaker added.
The results are another boost for Novo Nordisk whose monthly Wegovy injection has transformed the weight-loss market since its launch in June 2021.
The results published on Monday showed a comparable weight loss as in the company’s trial with injectable semaglutide in obesity under the Wegovy brand, Novo Nordisk’s head of development Martin Holst Lange said in a statement.
“The choice between a daily tablet or weekly injection for obesity has the potential to offer patients and healthcare providers the opportunity to choose what best suits individual treatment preferences,” he added.
(Reporting by Louise Breusch Rasmussen, editing by Terje Solsvik)