Key Summary
- MHRA approved Novo Nordisk’s weight loss pill.
- The majority think it will be more popular than jabs.
- However, there are concerns bubbling about counterfeit weight loss drugs.
A majority of Pharmacy Business audiences think weight-loss tablets will be more popular than weight-loss injections.
Earlier this month, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved Novo Nordisk's semaglutide (Wegovy) tablet for weight loss and weight management in the UK.
However, leaders had voiced concerns about the release of counterfeit weight loss treatments.
Commenting on the MHRA's decision, National Pharmacy Association (NPA) chair Olivier Picard said, "Patients must only ever obtain weight loss medication, properly prescribed and dispensed by a regulated pharmacy. Unregulated providers may be selling fake medicines or medicines that do not meet the strict safety standards we have in the UK."
To gauge industry sentiment on how this approval will reshape the market, Pharmacy Business conducted an exclusive reader poll on LinkedIn.
It revealed that half the respondents (50 per cent) believe that weight-loss tablets will be more popular than jabs. About 30 per cent think this update will make weight loss management more affordable to the public. However, 19 per cent think this will spur the counterfeit drugs market.
Novo Nordisk’s rival Eli Lilly recently said they expect to launch its weight-loss pill in Europe and Britain in the second half of 2026 or early 2027, and plans to partner with telehealth companies to distribute them.
