Novo Nordisk has chosen the United Arab Emirates for the first international launch of the oral version of Wegovy, marking the global debut of the drug outside the United States. The decision follows the approval by the Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE), which authorized the treatment for long-term weight management in adults with obesity or overweight associated with weight-related medical conditions, as well as for reducing the risk of cardiovascular events in high-risk patients.
According to Emil Kongshøj Larsen, Executive Vice President of International Operations at Novo Nordisk, the company’s expansion strategy will be driven by patient demand, healthcare provider readiness, and the quality of healthcare and telemedicine infrastructure, and the United Arab Emirates “have shown strong momentum in all these areas.”
THE GREEN LIGHT FROM THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
With the EDE’s approval, the United Arab Emirates became the second country in the world to authorize the oral semaglutide treatment. The regulatory authority highlighted that the approval is based on clinical trial results demonstrating the drug’s effectiveness in weight reduction and maintaining results over the long term when combined with a low-calorie diet and increased physical activity, as well as its ability to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events.
A COUNTRY STRUGGLING WITH OBESITY
The launch takes place in a healthcare context characterized by a growing prevalence of obesity. In fact, according to data from the Global Nutrition Report, the United Arab Emirates is not on track to meet global targets related to maternal, infant, and early childhood nutrition. 24.3% of women aged 15 to 49 suffer from anemia, and 12.7% of newborns are born with low birth weight. Regarding diet-related non-communicable diseases, 44.2% of adult women and 30.9% of adult men live with obesity. Diabetes affects 17.4% of women and 17.3% of men.
A year ago, a France24 report stated that, according to a study published in The Lancet, the prevalence of overweight and obesity among adult men in the United Arab Emirates could increase from 84% in 2021 to 94% by 2050, placing the country among the most affected worldwide. The study linked the phenomenon to unbalanced dietary patterns, the growing spread of home deliveries, and a sedentary lifestyle, with consequences such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases.
THE SUCCESS OF THE PILL IN THE UNITED STATES
The international expansion comes after results recorded in the U.S. market. In the first quarter of 2026, the first to include sales of the oral formulation, the Wegovy pill generated revenues of 2.26 billion Danish kroner, nearly double the 1.16 billion expected by analysts.
Moreover, Novo Nordisk reported that approximately 1.3 million prescriptions of the pill were recorded in the United States in the first three months of the year. At the beginning of May, the company also stated that total prescriptions had exceeded 2 million and that sales had far exceeded market expectations.
“The pill’s numbers speak for themselves,” said CEO Mike Doustdar, emphasizing the treatment’s good tolerability. According to the executive, the Wegovy brand now represents 65% of all new prescriptions in the United States. Doustdar also maintained that the availability of the oral formulation is not drawing patients away from the injectable version.
THE CHALLENGE WITH ELI LILLY
After pioneering GLP-1 drugs for obesity, Novo Nordisk saw Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro surpass Ozempic as the best-selling GLP-1 in the second quarter of 2025, and in early April Eli Lilly also launched its own weight loss pill, Foundayo, in the United States.
Although Novo Nordisk claims that available studies suggest that oral Wegovy produces a generally greater weight loss compared to Foundayo and offers specific cardiovascular benefits, no direct clinical trial comparing the two drugs has yet been conducted.
However, the growth of the Wegovy pill has contributed to improving investor sentiment towards Novo Nordisk after a period marked by disappointing clinical results and financial outlooks, but the company’s shares remain down about 15% since the beginning of the year, also due to the results of the CagriSema program, which in a company study did not match the efficacy of Zepbound, Eli Lilly’s anti-obesity drug.
