Wegovy pill users record 5.9% to 6.7% weight loss after three months
Key Facts
Novo Nordisk said Wegovy pill users recorded body-weight reductions of 5.9% in Ro data and 6.7% in WeGoTogether app data after three months. The company placed the two averages alongside a 5.3% reduction in the OASIS 4 trial over the same period. It presented the figures in its third-quarter 2026 results as real-world usage data, separate from the clinical-trial result. The differences between the two groups represent the range of observed results, not a single figure for all pill users. Novo said WeGoTogether is an app that supports Wegovy patients, while Ro is a telehealth company that provides direct-to-consumer services. The company said the pill-user data were internal.
At six months, the data presented showed weight reductions of 11.8% in the Ro group and 11.5% in the WeGoTogether group, compared with a 10.4% reduction in the OASIS 4 trial. These readings add a longer follow-up period to the three-month results, while the comparison remains between two real-world groups and a clinical trial. The figures highlight the trajectory recorded among users over time, without making the groups’ designs or conditions identical. They also show that the two groups’ averages were not the same at either of the two measurement points in the presentation. The company’s figures did not conclude that differences between the real-world data and the trial proved a treatment advantage.
The results came as the pill had entered four markets by the end of the third quarter: the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Britain and Germany. The company said demand in those markets lifted pill sales to DKK 5,394 million in the third quarter. Novo then added four more markets, bringing the number of markets where the pill had launched to eight by November 4. The company said the Wegovy franchise maintained a share of more than 50% of the branded U.S. obesity-drug market, measured by new patient treatment starts. The figures place the weight data within a broader commercial expansion of the product, without the company directly linking real-world group results to share-price movements or investor sentiment.
The company’s third-quarter indicators showed a divergence between growth in adjusted sales and operating profit on one hand, and reported operating profit on the other. Adjusted sales rose 4% at constant exchange rates, adjusted operating profit climbed 27%, while reported operating profit fell 9% on the same basis. Novo attributed the reported decline to non-cash impairment charges of DKK 8.7 billion. Total net sales were DKK 79,195 million, while adjusted operating profit reached DKK 31,720 million, according to the results. The figures provide financial context for the company during the period when pill sales expanded, but do not isolate the impact of real-world weight data on business results.
Novo said about 80% of pill users had not previously used GLP-1 obesity medicines, and prescriptions had exceeded 7 million since the start of the year, with patients paying out of pocket for about 90% of them. It also said oral obesity medicines accounted for about 30% of the total market during the 12 weeks ended in the week that concluded on August 28, 2026. It said demand for the pill was driven mainly by market expansion, and that users had an average age of about 50 and an average body mass index of about 35. These indicators suggest the pill-user base included newcomers to the obesity-drug category, alongside widespread direct payment. In prescription data for the same period, the 9 mg and 25 mg doses accounted for about 30% of total pill prescriptions.
Ahead of the conference, Novo announced on October 29 that its program at Obesity Week 2026 would include real-world analyses of oral semaglutide use through Ro’s telehealth services. The analyses include weight outcomes, food-noise measures and patient-reported outcomes after three months, according to the company’s announcement. The conference will be held in Washington from November 14 to 17, while the poster titled with three-month weight outcomes for users of oral treatment through telehealth was scheduled for Sunday, November 15, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Eastern time. Novo Chief Scientific Officer Martin Holst Lange said obesity is a complex disease and that patients’ experiences and treatment needs differ across stages of life. He added that the meeting would present results on real-world use of oral and injectable Wegovy, among other topics.
Novo raised its 2026 guidance, forecasting growth in adjusted sales and adjusted operating profit in a range of -2% to +2% for each at constant exchange rates. The company said the improved outlook was based on higher estimates for sales of its GLP-1 products. The chief executive had described third-quarter performance as stronger than expected, citing continued demand for Wegovy pills in the United States and encouraging early results from international launches. The company also said its third-quarter results call was held on November 4, 2026, at 13:00 Central European time, corresponding to 07:00 a.m. Eastern time. Obesity Week presentations in Washington come after the results were published, adding real-world usage data scheduled for discussion to the launch and sales figures announced by the company.