Wegovy tablets, a once-daily semaglutide pill, were approved by FDA on December 22, 2025, for weight and heart risk in adults [3]. Like the weekly shot, the pill is a slow build. Its main trial measured results at week 64, more than a year in, and that's the number to set expectations by. It's the same brand and molecule as the weekly Wegovy shot, in a different form. The pill forms of semaglutide are explained on our oral semaglutide page.
OASIS 4 is the trial behind the pill
The label's Study 7 is OASIS 4. It enrolled 307 adults with obesity, or with overweight plus a weight-related condition such as high blood pressure, and no diabetes [1]. Two in three got the 25 mg pill and one in three got placebo, both with diet and activity coaching, for 64 weeks [4].
Most people in the trial were women (79%), with an average starting weight of about 234 lb (106 kg) [1]. Novo Nordisk, which makes Wegovy, funded the trial. The trial excluded people with type 2 diabetes, so its numbers describe people without it.
It starts slow because the dose starts at 1.5 mg
The label starts the pill at 1.5 mg once a day and keeps people on 25 mg once a day [1]. The climb in between exists “to reduce the risk of gastrointestinal adverse reactions,” in the label's words. In OASIS 4, the dose was raised over the trial's first 12 weeks, followed by a year at 25 mg. Your own pace is set by your prescriber.
That means the first month or two are spent on doses well below the one that produced the trial result. A small change on the scale early on is expected. The label's full dose range, pill and shot, is in Wegovy doses, from start to maximum.
By week 64, the average was 13.6%, with a wide spread
At week 64, people on the pill had lost 13.6% of their body weight on average, against 2.4% on placebo in the label's analysis [1]. The published paper, using a slightly different statistical estimate, put placebo at 2.2% [4]. Either way, the pill added about 11 percentage points of loss.
| Measure | Wegovy pill 25 mg | Placebo |
|---|---|---|
| Average change in body weight | −13.6% | −2.4% |
| Lost at least 5% | 76.3% | 31.3% |
| Lost at least 10% | 59.8% | 14.4% |
| Lost at least 15% | 47% | 5.5% |
| Lost at least 20% | 27.9% | 3.1% |
Label Table 11, all randomized adults [1].
The spread matters as much as the average. About four in ten people on the pill didn't reach a 10% loss, and about one in four didn't reach 5%. At the other end, more than a quarter lost at least 20%.
The pill lands close to the shot, from a different trial
The weekly 2.4 mg shot averaged 14.9% at week 68 in STEP 1 [5], and the daily 25 mg pill averaged 13.6% at week 64 in OASIS 4. Those are close, but the trials enrolled different people and ran for different lengths, so they can't be lined up exactly. No trial has tested the two head to head. The full comparison, including side effects and price, is in Wegovy pill vs Wegovy injection, and the shot's own timeline is in how long Wegovy takes to work.
Most people on the pill had a stomach side effect
In OASIS 4, 74.0% of people on the pill reported a stomach side effect, against 42.2% on placebo [4]. The label says the pill's common side effects were similar in type and frequency to the shot's: nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and constipation lead the list [1].
Few people stopped because of them: 6.9% on the pill and 5.9% on placebo left treatment because of side effects. The label also reports dysesthesia, a changed skin sensation such as tingling or burning, in 5% of people on the pill and none on placebo [1]. The full list is in Wegovy side effects.
The pill has its own rules, and they matter
The pill pairs semaglutide with an absorption enhancer, salcaprozate sodium (SNAC), and its label sets specific rules for when and how each tablet is taken [1]. Your prescriber and pharmacist go through them when you start. The trial results above come from people taking it the way the label describes, so following those rules is part of getting the result.
What the pill costs while you wait for results
Through NovoCare, Novo Nordisk's pharmacy, the self-pay price is $149 a month for the 1.5 mg starting strength, rising to $299 a month for the 25 mg maintenance dose; a month is one bottle of 30 tablets [6]. Because the result takes more than a year to build, it's worth pricing a full year before you start. Prices with insurance and Medicare are in what Wegovy costs.
Telehealth programs that prescribe the pill, including ShedRx, Heally and Maximus, are scored in Wegovy pill programs. The other GLP-1 pill, Foundayo (orforglipron), is a different molecule from Lilly; pill programs for both are in GLP-1 pill programs, and the drug itself on our orforglipron page.