Novo OCTANE: switching from injectable GLP‑1s to Wegovy pill produced 4.1% mean weight loss at 3 months

Study and cohort

OCTANE analysed de‑identified Ro telehealth data on adults with overweight or obesity who switched from injectable semaglutide or tirzepatide to once‑daily oral semaglutide and remained on treatment for three months. The final sample included 194 patients with mean baseline weight 100.5 kg (221.6 lb) and mean BMI 34.5 kg/m².

Key outcomes

Mean weight loss at three months was 4.1% (mean 4.0 kg / 8.8 lb; p<0.001). At three months, 40.7% of participants achieved ≥5% weight loss. The proportion of participants classified as living with obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m²) fell from 87.1% at baseline to 65.5% at three months (a 21.6 percentage‑point decrease; p<0.001).

Patient‑reported outcomes and timing

Among participants with available data, 82.4% reported at least one treatment improvement, with approximately 69% reporting better‑fitting clothes and ~51% reporting healthier eating. Mean time from last injectable prescription to initiation of oral semaglutide was 36.8 days, and mean time from Ro onboarding to start of oral semaglutide was 5.2 months.

Limitations and safety

Authors note OCTANE is observational real‑world evidence and cannot determine causality. Study limitations include variable timing and completeness of routine telehealth data, self‑reported measures subject to bias, selection bias from requiring treatment persistence, and limited generalisability. Semaglutide injection 2.4 mg and semaglutide tablets 25 mg carry a Boxed Warning for possible thyroid tumours (including cancer) and should not be used in people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2; common adverse events are listed in the prescribing information.