(NewsNation) — New research has revealed that oral semaglutide can help with significant weight loss, with one in three study participants losing 20% or more body weight.
The clinical study, conducted by the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that a daily 25-milligram semaglutide pill can lead to notable slimming down.
“In our trial, oral semaglutide at a dose of 25 mg once daily led to a clinically relevant mean reduction in body weight of 13.6 percent (11.4 percentage points more than that with placebo), with weight loss similar across baseline BMI subgroups,” said the researchers.
“Almost a third of the participants in the oral semaglutide group had a reduction in body weight of 20 percent or more.”
As part of the study, participants across four countries were provided either a semaglutide pill or a placebo alongside diet and exercise counseling.
“The reasons patients may prefer oral administration over the subcutaneous route are most often needle aversion and local skin reactions,” added the researchers, who were funded by Ozempic and Wegovy makers Novo Nordisk.
“In addition, unlike injectable agents, oral agents may not require a refrigerated chain of delivery and could widen the reach of obesity care in many regions of the world where a lack of refrigeration represents a barrier to access,” they added.
Novo Nordisk is seeking approval for the pill as a means to treat obesity. A decision by the Food and Drug Administration is expected by the end of the year.
“Currently, less than 2% of individuals with obesity in the U.S. receive obesity medication, and Wegovy in a pill may also address patient preference for oral treatment,” Martin Holst Lange, Novo Nordisk, said in the statement.
“Pending FDA approval, ample supply will be available to meet the expected U.S. demand as we hope to set a new treatment benchmark for oral weight loss medications” for people who are overweight or obese.
If the pill is approved, it can become available sometime next year.