The first GLP-1 weight-loss pill is approved in the US
Wegovy now comes as a once-a-day tablet. In its main trial, people lost 13.6% of their body weight on average.
At a glance
- Medicine
- Semaglutide 25 mg tablet, once a day
- Approved for
- Weight management in adults with obesity, or overweight plus a weight-related health problem. It also lowers the risk of heart attack and stroke in people with heart disease
- Main trial
- OASIS 4: 307 adults over 64 weeks
- Result
- 13.6% average weight loss vs 2.2% on placebo
- Where
- US (at the time of approval)
The research, explained
On December 22, 2025, the FDA approved the Wegovy pill: the same medicine as the Wegovy injection, semaglutide, as a tablet taken once a day. It is the first GLP-1 pill approved for weight management.
The approval was based on the OASIS 4 trial, in which 307 adults with obesity or overweight took the pill or a placebo for 64 weeks, along with diet and exercise advice. People on the pill lost 13.6% of their body weight on average, compared with 2.2% on placebo.
Side effects were similar to the injection and mostly affected the stomach: 74.0% of people on the pill had stomach-related side effects, compared with 42.2% on placebo.
Novo Nordisk planned a full US launch for early January 2026.
Semaglutide research material is listed in the research shop; it is not the approved tablet or injection.
What does this mean?
For people who don’t want injections, a pill could make treatment easier to start and stick with.
What don’t we know yet?
How results hold up over years, and when the pill will be available outside the US, remain to be seen.
Watch and learn
Semaglutide and GLP-1 background, plus how clinical research is assessed. These recordings do not establish equivalence between tablets, injections or laboratory materials; OASIS 4 is linked below.
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center
Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy and Zepbound: which is which?
How the brand names relate to semaglutide and tirzepatide and their prescribed uses. Older recordings may not cover later indications or formulations.
Allison L. Rhodes, MD · obesity medicine
Discusses the compound
Discusses Semaglutide or its clinical context. Read the original studies linked here for the exact formulation, population and outcomes.
Nick Norwitz
The science behind Ozempic and other GLP-1 medications
How GLP-1 medicines work in the gut and brain, in clear language.
Nick Norwitz, MD, PhD
Discusses the compound
Discusses Semaglutide or its clinical context. Read the original studies linked here for the exact formulation, population and outcomes.
National Institute of Mental Health
What is clinical research?
Why studies in people are needed and what clinical research is designed to establish.
NIMH · US National Institutes of Health
Research skills
Helps you judge the study design or uncertainty in Semaglutide research; it is not a trial of the compound.
Sources and references
- FDA approves Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy pill, the first and only oral GLP-1 for weight loss in adultsNovo Nordisk press release · December 22, 2025
- Oral Semaglutide at a Dose of 25 mg in Adults with Overweight or Obesity (OASIS 4)Wharton et al. · New England Journal of Medicine · 2025
VETUD Learn explains published research in plain language. It is general information, not medical advice. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or changing any treatment.
In the research shop
Check the catalog for related laboratory research materials. These products are separate from the approved medicines and clinical trial formulations discussed here.
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