Novo Nordisk’s oral semaglutide 25 mg (Wegovy® in a pill*) has comparable efficacy to the injectable form of Wegovy®

Novo Nordisk today presented new data from the OASIS 4 phase 3 trial that explored a variety of patients and hypotheses, adding to the body of evidence supporting this potential treatment option.1 Four abstracts in total were presented, highlighting a breadth of results with oral semaglutide 25 mg during ObesityWeek® 2025 in Atlanta, GA.

“Novo Nordisk has pioneered innovation in the obesity class for 25 years, and the oral semaglutide data at ObesityWeek® reflect our drive to improve the lives of people living with obesity,” said Martin Holst Lange, chief scientific officer and executive vice president of Research & Development at Novo Nordisk. “The OASIS 4 results that we are sharing at this important meeting build on existing clinical trial evidence for oral semaglutide and extend findings beyond weight loss to suggested improvements in overall health.”

A cardiometabolic post hoc analysis from the OASIS 4 phase 3 clinical trial examined how the amount of weight patients lost affects glycemic parameters (blood sugar control) and cardiovascular (CV) risk factors in adults with overweight and obesity. In participants with overweight or obesity, once-daily oral semaglutide 25 mg treatment compared with placebo led to greater improvements in glycemic parameters, including HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose, and fasting serum insulin, as well as CV risk factors such as C-reactive protein and serum triglycerides.

Results showed that in the overall trial population, a higher percentage of participants with pre- diabetes at baseline achieved normal blood glucose (sugar) at week 64 in the semaglutide group versus placebo (71.1% versus 33.3%). Participants treated with oral semaglutide 25 mg were more likely to achieve ≥15% body weight reduction, compared with those who received placebo. Within the semaglutide group, more people who achieved ≥15% body weight reduction saw larger improvements than those with <15% weight reduction in systolic (−10.1 mmHg versus −4.1 mmHg, mean change from baseline) and diastolic (−4.3 mmHg versus −1.1 mmHg, mean change from baseline) blood pressure readings. Reductions in levels of inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (0.34 versus 0.74, ratio to baseline) and in lipids (blood fats), including non–high density lipoprotein cholesterol (0.90 versus 0.96, ratio to baseline) and triglycerides (0.73 versus 0.87, ratio to baseline), were also observed. While improvements were observed across measures within the semaglutide group, greater improvements were observed in people who had achieved a ≥15% body weight reduction in the trial.1

“As recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the primary results from the OASIS 4 clinical trial demonstrated weight loss efficacy of investigational oral semaglutide 25 mg as a potential therapeutic option for people with obesity and overweight,” said Domenica Rubino, MD, trial investigator and Director, Washington Center for Weight Management and Research in Washington, DC. “It’s exciting to see these new results from the cardiometabolic post hoc analysis, which showed that while benefits were most pronounced in people who achieved greater than 15% weight loss, clear improvements in glycemic parameters and CV risk factors were observed in patients taking oral semaglutide 25 mg, regardless of how much weight was lost, based on the groups observed.”