Novo Nordisk is signaling to investors and the market that the form of administration will not determine pricing; clinical effectiveness and demand will remain the key factors. While the company has not disclosed a specific price, it has made clear that oral Wegovy will not be positioned as a budget option, even though tablets are often associated with lower production costs than injections.
Novo Nordisk’s pricing strategy reflects the unprecedented demand for GLP-1 drugs. Currently, Wegovy costs around $1,300 per month in the United States without insurance, and the company has given no indication that the oral version will be priced significantly below that level. From the company’s perspective, maximizing revenue amid constrained manufacturing capacity remains a priority.
The firm sees the Wegovy pill as a way to expand the market rather than to democratize access through lower prices. The oral formulation is expected to attract patients who are unwilling or unable to use injections, but Novo Nordisk assumes that willingness to pay will remain high—particularly in the U.S., where reimbursement for obesity drugs is limited.
This strategy contrasts with the expectations of some physicians and health-policy decision-makers, who had hoped that pills would lower the cost barrier to treatment. Instead, Novo Nordisk consistently communicates that the obesity-drug market will function similarly to the biologics market, where innovation and clinical effectiveness allow high prices to be sustained for years.
Wegovy’s pricing policy could ultimately influence the entire GLP-1 sector, including the strategies of competitors such as Eli Lilly. If the oral version of Wegovy maintains a price close to the current injectable therapy, pressure on healthcare systems and insurers is likely to intensify further.
