Novo Nordisk pushes defense of its anti-obesity pill

A version of this article first appeared in CNBC's Healthy Returns newsletter, bringing the latest healthcare news directly to your inbox. Subscribe here to receive future editions.

All eyes are on new obesity pills and a treatment for Nordisk could be the first to reach patients.

The 25-milligram oral version of the Danish manufacturer's anti-obesity drug Wegovy could win approval by the end of the year. While it waits for approval from regulators, Novo Nordisk bolstered the case for its experimental pill by releasing new data to underscore its safety and effectiveness at the ObesityWeek scientific conference in Atlanta last week.

“I think it adds to the evidence base to help healthcare professionals and patients make additional decisions about what may be right for their specific case and for them in particular,” Dr. Jason Brett, Novo Nordisk's U.S. chief medical officer, said in an interview about the new results.

The launch of the pill will be crucial for the pharmaceutical company, which just lost a heated bidding war with Pfizer on biotechnology against obesity Metsera. Novo Nordisk is working to strengthen its portfolio as it loses share in the successful weight-loss drug market to its main rival, Eli Lilly.

This is what the conference results say about the pill's performance.

New analyzes from the company's OASIS 4 clinical trial showed that the pill improved blood sugar control and provided cardiovascular benefits.

In one analysis, 71.1% of participants with prediabetes who took the pill achieved normal blood glucose levels at 64 weeks, compared with 33.3% of those who took placebo.

People who took the pill were more likely to lose 15% or more of their body weight than those who took a placebo in the trial. And patients who lost at least 15% of their body weight experienced greater improvements in blood pressure and reductions in inflammatory markers and triglycerides.

An indirect comparison between the OASIS 4 trial and the previous study on injectable Wegovy showed that the oral and injectable formulations yielded comparable results in weight loss and cardiometabolic markers, as well as safety.

Brett said, “That doesn't surprise me too much, because semaglutide is semaglutide. We're just getting it into the system through a different route of administration.” Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Wegovy and drugmaker Ozempic's diabetes vaccine.

Brett said some people are content with a once-a-week shot, but noted it's important for healthcare providers and patients to have alternative options.

“I think it will really open up access even further and help expand the market” to patients who could benefit from a weight-loss treatment but who don't get an injection for reasons such as fear of needles, Brett added.

An additional analysis found that the Novo Nordisk pill was associated with significant weight loss in women with obesity, regardless of their stage of menopause.

Premenopausal women lost an average of 18.2% of their body weight over 64 weeks, while perimenopausal women lost an average of 15% and postmenopausal women lost an average of 15.7% of their weight.

Brett acknowledged the small differences between the groups, but noted that the weight loss in all of them was “sound and significant.” She said weight loss can be more difficult for people in the stages of menopause because of the hormonal changes they experience.

Another analysis found that people who took the pill and reported low physical function at the start of the trial saw improvements compared to the overall study population at 64 weeks. Their level of physical function was determined using a questionnaire called Global Impression of the Patient's Condition.

According to Novo Nordisk, the majority of patients, or 77.3%, achieved a “significant change” in physical function who took the pill compared to 42.9% who took a placebo.

Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and facts to Annika at a new email: [email protected].

I was in Washington for much of last week and was in the Oval Office for the White House announcement of lower prices for GLP-1 drugs from Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk.

While Trump administration officials touted hard-fought negotiations to reduce prices of the weight-loss drug GLP-1 for Medicare and Medicaid plans to the levels paid in Europe, my question was whether they could extend those prices to commercial plans.

Half of Americans have private and employer health plans, many of which do not cover GLP-1 for weight loss due to cost. I asked how insurers could extend those prices beyond government-run plans so workers could afford the drugs.

“That's a good question,” President Donald Trump said, deferring to Medicare chief Chris Klomp, who helped negotiate the deal with drugmakers.

“Companies have committed to ensuring that, in the worst case, prices are at [most-favored nation] on LPG-1, and we are committed to continuing to negotiate those prices downward based on volume,” Klomp said.

When it comes to healthcare services, lower Medicare and Medicaid rates often result in cost shifting to commercial plans, which are charged higher prices to offset providers' margins.

Reducing prices to the most-favored-nation level would require pharmacy benefit managers to collaborate with drug manufacturers to try to match government prices.

Some of the pharmacy benefit managers praised the administration's pricing agreement, but it is unclear whether they will renegotiate the 2026 PBM contracts for GLP-1 at this time. Administrative pressure may be needed to bring the MFN price into business plans next year.

Given Trump's post this week denouncing “money-sucking insurance companies,” the big insurers that own the major PBMs may already be feeling the pressure.

Please feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas or information to Bertha at [email protected].