Plainsboro, New Jersey – – September 30, 2026 -- Adults with overweight or obesity who switched from injectable GLP-1 therapies to the oral Wegovy pill lost an average of 4.0 kg (8.8 lb) over three months, according to new real-world data from Novo Nordisk's OCTANE study presented at the 62nd Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Milan on September 30, 2026.
Patients switching to the oral formulation saw rapid weight-loss gains after three months
The retrospective analysis of 194 patients on the Ro telehealth platform found that 40.7% achieved weight loss of 5% or more within three months of switching from injectable semaglutide or tirzepatide to once-daily oral semaglutide (p0.001). The proportion of participants classified with a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or higher fell by 21.6 percentage points, dropping from 87.1% at baseline to 65.5% at the three-month mark.
Most participants reported tangible lifestyle improvements after the switch
Among participants with available data, 82.4% reported at least one treatment improvement, with roughly 69% citing better-fitting clothes and 51% reporting healthier eating habits. Mean baseline weight in the cohort was 100.5 kg (221.6 lb) with a mean BMI of 34.5 kg/m2. Patients had switched to the pill an average of 36.8 days after their last injectable prescription.
Novo Nordisk positions data as evidence for treatment flexibility, not causal proof
Martin Holst Lange, executive vice president and chief scientific officer at Novo Nordisk, said the findings offer an early look at outcomes for patients moving from injectable to oral therapy for reasons including needle anxiety or lifestyle preference. Louis J. Aronne, MD, of Weill Cornell Medicine's Comprehensive Weight Control Center and study co-author, said the oral option appears viable for select patients who want to move off injectables while sustaining weight loss.
The study carries stated limitations: it is a retrospective, real-world analysis subject to self-reported data bias, and results are not generalizable given the requirement for treatment persistence over the full three-month period. Novo Nordisk notes that real-world evidence evaluates associations rather than causality, distinguishing it from randomized controlled trials.
Wegovy pill availability remains limited to four launched markets
The Wegovy pill is currently available in the United States, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and Germany, with Novo Nordisk planning launches in additional markets over coming quarters. The OCTANE analysis marks the first published output from a previously announced data-sharing collaboration between Novo Nordisk and Ro, examining real-world outcomes among weight-loss medication users switching between injectable and oral GLP-1 formulations.