Novo Nordisk Shares Rise After UK Wegovy Tablet Approval
On 11 June 2026, Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) saw its shares increase by 2.1% after the United Kingdom’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) granted marketing authorisation for a daily tablet formulation of Wegovy, the company’s semaglutide‑based GLP‑1 receptor agonist for weight loss and weight management.
The approval represents the first GLP‑1 receptor agonist tablet authorised for weight‑loss treatment in the UK. The tablet is indicated for adults with a body‑mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m² or higher, or for those with a BMI between 27 kg/m² and 30 kg/m² who have at least one weight‑related comorbidity, provided it is used alongside a reduced‑calorie diet and increased physical activity.
Dosing commences at 1.5 mg taken once daily. The dose may be escalated to 4 mg, then 9 mg, and finally 25 mg, with a minimum exposure of one month at each dose level before further escalation. Patients currently receiving the 2.4 mg semaglutide injection once weekly are permitted to transition directly to the 25 mg tablet taken once daily.
Administration instructions require the tablet to be swallowed whole on an empty stomach after a fasting period of at least eight hours, accompanied by a sip of water. No food or drink should be consumed for at least thirty minutes after ingestion, as intake sooner would reduce drug absorption. The medication is classified as prescription‑only.
Although the tablet has received MHRA approval, it is not yet available through the National Health Service (NHS). Decisions regarding NHS provision will follow the standard evaluation process, including a health‑technology assessment by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
Julian Beach, Executive Director of Healthcare Quality and Access at the MHRA, stated that the semaglutide tablet met the agency’s rigorous standards for safety, quality and effectiveness, and reiterated that, like all GLP‑1 receptor agonists, it remains a prescription‑only product.
This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed by an editor.