A pharmacist displays a box of Wegovy pills at a pharmacy in Provo, Utah, on January 15, 2026.
George Frey | Bloomberg | fake images
Actions of Nordisk rose more than 8% on Friday after early prescription data showed an encouraging start to the U.S. launch of the company's new GLP-1 obesity pill.
In a note Friday, analysts at TD Cowen called it a “solid start” for the first weight-loss pill, but said “one data point doesn't set a trend.” They warned they need to see more data to fully assess initial demand for the Wegovy pill, which officially launched on Jan. 5 after gaining approval in late December.
Still, the initial data is a boost to the Danish drugmaker's hopes of regaining more share from its main rival, Eli Lillythis year in the booming market for obesity and diabetes drugs. Eli Lilly gained majority market share in early 2025 and is well behind Novo Nordisk in the pill space, as it prepares for the upcoming launch of its own oral obesity drug.
In a note on Friday, Leerink Partners analyst David Risinger said about 3,100 prescriptions for the Wegovy pill were filled in the first week of launch, citing IQVIA data for the week ending Jan. 9. In the first week of the commercial launch of Eli Lilly's popular anti-obesity shot, Zepbound, about 1,300 prescriptions were filled, and about 8,000 in the second week, he said. That injection won approval in the United States at the end of 2023.
TD Cowen analysts cited somewhat different data released by Symphony via Bloomberg.
Analysts said about 4,290 prescriptions for Novo Nordisk's pill were filled during its first full week of launch, and most were for the initial dose of the drug. They added that data from their source or IQVIA likely does not include prescriptions through Novo Nordisk's direct-to-consumer pharmacy or its telehealth partners.
Analysts said that compares with about 1,900 prescriptions filled for Zepbound during its first full week on the market.
Assuming Symphony's data is accurate, the pill “is already outperforming its injectable counterparts at the same stage of its launch,” TD Cowen analyst Michael Nedelcovych wrote in the note. A more direct comparison between the pill and injections can be made based on data available early next week, although the numbers may not be more useful for two or three quarters, he added.
Nedelcovych said he wants to see the full picture in the direct-to-consumer channel, which holds “significant promise” for the pill's launch.
Demand could also change once Eli Lilly's pill, orforglipron, hits the market in the coming months, he added.
While Novo Nordisk's medication has a head start, it is a peptide medication with dietary requirements (do not eat or drink for 30 minutes after taking the pill with water) that can make it difficult to absorb. Eli Lilly's pill is a small molecule drug and not a peptide, meaning it has no such restrictions.
