Wegovy Pill's Q1 Sales Double Estimates, Novo Hikes Guidance
Novo Nordisk's oral Wegovy pulled in $354M in its first full quarter — twice analyst forecasts — and the company raised full-year guidance on the strength.
May 6, 2026 · 2 min read
Novo Nordisk's oral version of Wegovy generated DKK 2.26 billion (about $353.6 million) in Q1 2026 — its first full quarter on US shelves — roughly double the DKK 1.16 billion analysts had forecast. The Danish drugmaker raised its full-year sales and operating profit guidance Wednesday, citing the pill's launch as the biggest single driver.
What happened
The oral pill, a tablet form of semaglutide approved for chronic weight management, launched in the US in January 2026. Novo says it filled roughly 1.3 million prescriptions in Q1, pushing cumulative scripts past 2 million since launch — what the company called the strongest GLP-1 volume launch in US history.
Total Q1 net sales reached DKK 96.82 billion, up 24% year-over-year, with operating profit up 54% to DKK 59.62 billion. The injectable Wegovy still posted a 12% revenue gain to DKK 18.2 billion, suggesting the pill is expanding the franchise rather than cannibalizing the shot.
Novo CEO comments pointed to a "pricing sweet spot" — the pill is positioned below the cash-pay injectable but high enough to protect margin. International rollouts beyond the US are targeted for late 2026, contingent on regulatory approval in each market.
Why it matters
Adherence and cost are the two biggest reasons people quit GLP-1s, and a daily pill solves part of both. No needle, easier travel, no temperature-sensitive supply chain on the patient end. Novo's launch numbers suggest demand for an oral version was being held back by the injectable form factor more than by price or efficacy.
This also reframes the competitive picture against Eli Lilly's Foundayo (orforglipron), which is the other oral GLP-1 in the US market. Both products are now clearly viable commercially — the question for the rest of 2026 is which one's real-world tolerability and weight loss numbers hold up. For background on how the pill compares to the injectable form, see our semaglutide guide.
What to watch
Three things over the next two quarters: persistence rates (do patients stay on the pill longer than the shot?), insurance coverage decisions (PBMs are still working out where the pill sits on formularies), and Lilly's Foundayo launch numbers in its next quarterly call. Novo's geographic expansion timeline will sharpen at the next earnings call in August.
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