By Melissa Patrick Published
By Melissa PatrickKentucky Health News
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first pill version of a GLP-1 drug for weight loss, a move that could significantly widen access to the treatment for obesity.
The once-daily Wegovy pill, made by Danish company Novo Nordisk, is expected to launch in early January. Novo Nordisk says participants who took the Wegovy pill in clinical trials lost an average of 16.6% of their body weight.
“We are confident that the expansion of Wegovy to a pill will help patients who may have not sought or accepted treatment before,” Dave Moore, executive vice president, U.S.. operations at Novo Nordisk, said in a news release.
GLP-1 receptor agonists, or semaglutide, work by mimicking a natural hormone that regulates both appetite and blood sugar
According to a 2024 report published by GLP-1 Newsroom, Kentucky has the second-highest GLP-1 usage in the country, with about one in four adults (or 22%) of Kentuckians taking one of the injectable drugs, like Ozempic and Mounjaro.
This comes as no surprise, as Kentucky has some of the highest obesity and diabetes rates in the country.
Kentucky has the seventh highest obesity rate in the nation, with about 37.7% of the adult population considered obese, according to the American Diabetes Association. Further, the ADA reports that 13.8% of Kentucky adults have been diagnosed with diabetes, and every year, an estimated 20,700 adults in Kentucky are diagnosed with the disease.
“With more choices, HCPs (health care professionals) are better equipped to tailor treatment approaches and support patients who want to gain control of their weight, and this milestone approval underscores exactly that kind of choice,” Dr. Timothy Garvey, professor of medicine and director of the Diabetes Research Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said in the release.
The Wegovy pill has also been approved to reduce cardiovascular risks, similar to the injectable version.
At this time, Kentucky’s Medicaid program only covers GLP-1 drugs for Type 2 diabetes.
