Overview
- IQVIA tracked 3,071 retail prescriptions for the Wegovy pill in its first four days after the January 5 U.S. launch, excluding online fills such as NovoCare Pharmacy.
- Novo Nordisk shares rose about 6.5% on the early data, closing at their highest level since September 2025.
- The rollout targets consumers outside insurance through CVS and Costco pharmacies, telehealth partners including Ro, LifeMD, WeightWatchers and GoodRx, and NovoCare Pharmacy, with Amazon Pharmacy offering same‑day delivery for the GLP‑1 pill.
- Novo’s direct‑to‑consumer pricing lists starter tablet doses at $149 per month and maintenance doses at $299, positioning the pill as a lower‑cost, more convenient alternative to injectables.
- Analysts flag both opportunity and risk, with Berenberg seeing roughly $1 billion in 2026 potential, Barclays warning on price and state coverage pressures, UBS citing 400,000 Q1 prescriptions as a launch benchmark, and an FDA decision on Lilly’s rival oral expected by April as Zepbound remains the efficacy and sales leader among injectables.