The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is expected to grant approval to the daily Wegovy Pill, a tablet version of Novo Nordisk’s popular semaglutide injection. if cleared, the drug would become a licensed medicine in the United Kingdom, though NHS availability will still depend on a separate NICE appraisal.

MHRA decision could come within days, says source close to Novo Nordisk

According to sources close to the Danish drugmaker, the MHRA is poised to sign off on the Wegovy Pill within a matter of days. The tablet contains the same active ingredient—semaglutide—as the once‑weekly injection that has already transformed obesity treatment in the United States. The rapid timeline mirrors the agency’s recent fast‑track approvals for other GLP‑1 medicines.

Cheaper and needle‑free: Why twice as many Britons prefer a pill over an injection

Polling by digital health provider Numan shows that twice as many UK adults would take a weight‑loss pill rather than a jab, with one in five citing needle fear as a barrier. The Wegovy Pill is priced at roughly £225 per month in the U.S., compared with £260 for the injectable, suggesting a modest cost advantage that could translate into broader uptake.

Dr. Tsolmon Tsogbayar, senior clinical product lead at Numan, explained that “the arrival of oral GLP‑1 medication is hugely significant because it has the potential to make evidence‑based obesity treatment accessible to a much wider group of patients who previously felt excluded.”

Effectiveness gap : 14% weight loss on tablets versus 15% with injections

Clinical studies cited by Novo Nordisk indicate that patients on the Wegovy Pill lose an average of 14% of body weight, only slightly below the 15% reduction seen with the injection. The drug works by mimicking a gut hormone that curbs appetite, leading to reduced hunger and longer satiety.

Mike Doustdar, Novo Nordisk’s chief executive, said after the U.S. fDA approval last December that “patients will have a convenient, once‑daily pill that can help them lose as much weight as the original Wegovy injection.”

Will the NHS fund the Wegovy Pill?

Even if the MHRA signs off, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) must still assess cost‑effectiveness before the pill can be prescribed on the NHS. Experts warn that without a favourable NICE appraisal, the drug may remain largely a private‑market product, limiting access for lower‑income patients.

Meanwhile, Eli Lilly’s oral GLP‑1 candidate Orforglipron (brand name Foundayo) is awaiting its own UK decision, offering a potential competitor that showed an 11.2% weight loss at its highest dose in a 72‑week trial.

Open question:How will long‑term safety and dependency be monitored?

Health officials have not yet detailed post‑marketing surveillance plans for the Wegovy Pill, leaving uncertainty about potential side‑effects or patient dependence on daily medication. the lack of comment from both the MHRA and Novo Nordisk adds to the ambiguity surrounding long‑term outcomes.