TGA approves Australia’s first weight loss pill
Australians living with obesity will soon have access to a daily weight-loss pill after the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved a tablet version of Wegovy.
Until now, Australian patients prescribed Wegovy have relied on weekly injections.
Sales of Wegovy in oral form have changed the GLP-1 drug market. Getty
The TGA signed off on the oral treatment developed by Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk on Tuesday.
The decision brings Australia into line with the US and Europe, where demand for oral formulations surged following regulatory approval.
Novo Nordisk confirmed it is targeting an Australian release before the end of the year.
“Novo is working towards bringing this new treatment option to eligible Australians, with anticipated availability later this year. We will share confirmed availability timing as soon as we can,” a Novo Nordisk spokeswoman told the Australian Financial Review.
Before the pills reach pharmacy shelves, the TGA must still complete final reviews of the manufacturing and packaging processes to confirm they meet domestic quality benchmarks.
Industry projections suggest the number of Australians taking the medication could surge by as much as 40 per cent following the introduction of the tablet form of the weight loss drug.
Recent industry data from intelligence firm Nostradata indicates that 1.6 million Australians bought a GLP-1 medicine privately over the past 12 months - roughly double previous estimates, which placed active monthly users between 500,000 and 800,000.
The TGA approved the Wegovy tablet across four dosage tiers: 1.5mg, 4mg, 9mg, and 25mg.
Approval is restricted to adults with clinical obesity, or those needing treatment to reduce cardiovascular risk.
Australians taking the tablet form of Wegovy must still have a doctor’s prescription.
An official Australian retail price guide has not yet been announced.
Currently, patients paying privately for injectable GLP-1 treatments can face out-of-pocket costs of up to $600 per month.
In the US - where Novo Nordisk logged millions of prescriptions within months of launch - the tablet format generally retails for less than the injection.
Novo Nordisk's approval also comes amid intensifying competition in the weight-loss sector.
Rival US drugmaker Eli Lilly, which produces Mounjaro, currently has an application before the TGA for its own oral weight-loss candidate, Orforglipron.
Share a tip-off, video or photo with us
