Wegovy weight-loss tablet reaches German pharmacies on 1 September

Launch and availability

Novo Nordisk plans to introduce Wegovy tablets in German pharmacies on 1 September 2026, according to a company spokesperson who told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur that sufficient stock is available to meet expected demand. The European Commission approved the tablet formulation in July 2026, making it the first oral GLP-1 treatment for weight reduction on the European market. The pill version is already available in the United States, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. Eli Lilly's competing product Foundayo remains in the EU approval process but received clearance in the United Kingdom earlier this week.

How the tablet works

Like the existing Wegovy injection, the tablets contain semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist that signals the brain that food has been consumed, producing a feeling of satiety. The active ingredient also slows gastric emptying, prolonging the sensation of fullness so patients eat less overall. The tablets are approved for adults with obesity or overweight accompanied by at least one weight-related comorbidity, and a prescription is required. Unlike the injection, which is approved from age 12, the tablet is approved only for adults and does not require refrigeration. Nina Meyer of Charité Berlin said the indication remains unchanged: obesity or overweight with comorbidity.

Dosing and efficacy differences

The injection is administered once weekly, while the tablet must be taken every morning on an empty stomach, at least eight hours after the last meal, with no food, drink or other medication for 30 minutes afterward, according to the Federal Association of German Pharmacists' Associations (ABDA). Because the stomach and small intestine absorb only a small fraction of the active ingredient orally, the tablet requires a far higher dose.

You need 70 times as much of the same active ingredient when you give it in tablet form as when you inject it.

Meyer noted that the injection can be titrated to a maximum of 2.4 milligrams, while the tablet will be available at a maximum dose of 25 milligrams. Clinical trial data for the injection showed average weight loss of 11 to 17 percent, or about 10 to 12 kilograms, according to Hauner. Meyer stressed that the drug alone is insufficient for long-term weight management.

It is not a standalone therapy.

Cost and coverage

The tablet's price has not yet been announced, but Emil Larsen, responsible for Novo Nordisk's business outside the United States, told Wirtschaftswoche that it would be oriented toward the injection's cost, which ranges from 173 to 278 euros per four weeks depending on dosage. Statutory health insurers in Germany do not cover weight-loss drugs, which are classified as lifestyle medications. Patients must pay out of pocket. For Type 2 diabetes patients, however, semaglutide is covered under the brand name Ozempic. Legal scholar Stefan Huster distinguished between regulatory approval, which has been granted, and reimbursement decisions, which remain separate.

Concerns and political pressure

Medical professionals warn that the tablet's convenience could encourage misuse through dubious online providers, where the lack of medical supervision poses a particular risk. Covering all approximately 15 million overweight Germans would overwhelm the healthcare system, Hauner said. At the same time, political pressure is growing to extend insurance coverage to severely at-risk patient groups.