Weight loss drug Wegovy pills win TGA approval in Australia
Wegovy is set to become available in pill form across Australia, after the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) granted approval for eligible patients.
In a statement, manufacturer Novo Nordisk said they were “working to bring the new treatment option” to eligible Australians later in the year, while promising to share future updates.
Novo submitted an application to sell GLP-1 pills with the TGA earlier this year, following approval that was granted in the US and UK.
Currently, Wegovy and other similar drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro are only available as an injectable in Australia.
A Department of Health spokesman said the TGA approved the registration of a Wegovy oral tablet in 1.5mg, 4mg, 9mg and 25mg strengths.
“The indications are consistent with those approved for the injectable formulation of Wegovy,” a spokesman said.
GP Wes Abujalala said overseas patients already had access to oral GLP-1 tablets.
Dr Abujalala said an oral GLP-1 was a tablet version of the same hormone that mimicked medicines currently available as weekly injectables.
“It slows stomach emptying, reduces appetite, and signals fullness to the brain, working the same way as the injectable form,” he said.
“Novo Nordisk’s oral semaglutide tablet uses an absorption enhancer called SNAC, which protects the active ingredient long enough for a small amount to cross the stomach lining.”
Dr Abujalala said the Wegovy pill had to be taken once a day and came with a routine that must be followed precisely for it to work, because stomach acid destroyed most of the dose.
“Only a small fraction of each tablet is actually absorbed,” he said.
Users are required to take the tablet first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, swallowed with half a cup of water and wait at least 30 minutes before consuming anything else.
“Missing this window, or drinking too much water with the tablet, can reduce how much medicine the body absorbs,” Dr Abujalala said.
“For patients with unpredictable mornings, shift work, or young children to manage before breakfast, a weekly injection may actually be the more forgiving option.”
It is not clear when the drug will be available in Australia, but it is expected sometime before Christmas.
