Overview
- The Therapeutic Goods Administration approved registration of an oral Wegovy tablet on Tuesday, listing four strengths: 1.5 mg, 4 mg, 9 mg and 25 mg.
- The TGA has not yet completed its review of packaging and manufacturing processes that must be cleared before the medicine can be released in Australia.
- Novo Nordisk said it is working to bring the pill to eligible Australians, and media outlets report more than 10,000 people on waiting lists and possible availability before Christmas but those claims are unconfirmed.
- The tablet uses an absorption enhancer called SNAC and must be taken first thing on an empty stomach with a small amount of water and a 30-minute wait; one 25 mg tablet delivers similar exposure to a 2.4 mg injection because oral absorption is lower.
- The regulator has warned GLP-1 medicines can rarely cause a severe eye condition called NAION, and Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme currently only subsidises these drugs for people with type 2 diabetes, which will shape cost and access.