Novo Nordisk: Wegovy pill yields 21.6% weight loss in early responders and doubles mobility improvement

Key efficacy results

In OASIS 4 (oral semaglutide 25 mg once daily), 28.8% were early responders (≥10% weight loss by week 16), averaging 13.2% loss at week 16 and 21.6% by week 64; non‑responders still lost 11.5% by week 64 and the overall mean was 17% versus 2.7% with placebo.

Mobility and physical function

Among participants with poor physical function, 77.3% on oral semaglutide achieved clinically meaningful improvements in function scores (assessing range of motion and stamina) versus 42.9% on placebo, with weight loss in this subgroup similar to the overall treatment group.

Comparative analyses

Indirect ORION comparisons reported greater mean weight loss with oral semaglutide versus orforglipron 36 mg and found orforglipron associated with approximately 14× higher odds of discontinuation for gastrointestinal adverse events; the OPTIC patient‑preference study indicated 84% of respondents favored a treatment profile similar to oral semaglutide over orforglipron.

Safety and trial design

OASIS 4 was a randomized, double‑blind, placebo‑controlled phase 3 trial (2:1 randomization) in adults with BMI ≥30 or ≥27 plus a weight‑related comorbidity without type 2 diabetes, run for 64 weeks; the most common adverse events were gastrointestinal, mostly mild to moderate and diminishing over time, consistent with the GLP‑1 receptor agonist class.