Oral Wegovy, Wegovy Pill, and Injectable Wegovy · Mounjaro Differences

Oral Wegovy, Wegovy Pill, and

Injectable Wegovy · Mounjaro Differences

If you are interested in dieting,

you have probably heard of

Wegovy and Mounjaro at least once.

Recently, they have become so popular

as effective obesity treatments that

a shortage has even occurred after launch.

However, many people hesitate because

of the psychological burden of having to

take an injection once a week.

For those who dislike injections,

I have brought news that may be of interest.

This is that oral Wegovy, Wegovy Pill,

has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug

Administration (FDA).

Today, I will explain the differences between

oral Wegovy and injectable Wegovy · Mounjaro.

1. What are oral Wegovy and Wegovy Pill?

Wegovy Pill, developed by Danish pharmaceutical

company Novo Nordisk, is the first oral

(GLP-1) obesity treatment.

In fact, oral Wegovy had already been

introduced to the market under the name

"Rybelsus(Ryvelsus)."

Rybelsus contains the same semaglutide

ingredient as Wegovy Pill, but unlike oral

Wegovy, it received FDA approval in September

2019 as a diabetes treatment rather than an

obesity treatment.

✨Convenience of taking the medication

✨ Continuity of treatment

✨ Lower initial barrier to entry

Oral Wegovy, Wegovy Pill, allows you to move

past the fear of injections, take it once daily,

store it at room temperature, making it easy to

carry, and expect weight-loss effects similar to

injectable Wegovy · Mounjaro.

2. Comparison of injectable treatments Wegovy · Mounjaro

Category	Injectable drugs (Wegovy·Mounjaro)	Oral drug (Wegovy Pill)
Administration method	Subcutaneous injection once a week	Taken daily
Convenience	Fear of injections	No injections, less psychological burden
Dosing rules	Relatively simple	Strict dosing conditions such as taking on an empty stomach
Average weight-loss effect	10~25% or more	13.6%
Appetite suppression	Very strong	Relatively weaker
Satiety duration	5~7 days	5~7 days

When Wegovy tablets (Wegovy Pill) are taken

once daily at 25 mg for 64 weeks,

they showed an average weight-loss effect of 13.6%.

In addition, for adults with obesity or

overweight who do not have diabetes,

the drug was approved for the indication after

its effect in lowering the risk of major

cardiovascular diseases such as death, heart

attack, and stroke was demonstrated.

Precautions for taking Wegovy Pill, oral Wegovy

Unlike injectable Wegovy · Mounjaro, oral Wegovy

(Wegovy Pill) must be taken once a day at the

same time on an empty stomach, and it should

be taken with no more than 120 cc of water.

The important point here is that drinking less

than 120 cc of water is fine, but if you drink

more than 120 cc, changes in stomach pH may

decrease the drug’s effectiveness.

For at least 30 minutes after taking the drug,

you should not eat or drink anything, and you

should also avoid taking other medications.

The tablet must be swallowed whole and should

not be chewed or split.

3. Dosing schedule of Wegovy Pill

Period	Week	Dose (mg/day)
Stage 1	1~4	1.5
Stage 2	5~8	4
Stage 3	9~12	9
Stage 4	13~16	25

Just as injectable Wegovy and Mounjaro are

divided into doses by stage, oral Wegovy

(Wegovy Pill) is also composed of stage-based

doses.

While checking for side effects, the dose is

increased every 4 weeks to the next stage,

and it can be taken up to a maximum of 25 mg.

Expected price of oral Wegovy, Wegovy Pill

Low dose (1.5 mg / 4 mg): about KRW 215,000 per month

High dose (9 mg / 25 mg): about KRW 432,000 per month

5. Side effects of Wegovy Pill

Wegovy Pill can also cause diarrhea,

nausea, vomiting, and kidney problems,

so you should drink enough water.

Because it was originally developed as a diabetes

treatment, when taken together with insulin or

other diabetes medications, blood sugar may

drop sharply, creating a risk of hypoglycemia.

Patients with diabetes must receive a

doctor’s prescription.

Pancreatitis

Gallstones, gallbladder problems

Vision changes in patients with type 2 diabetes

Severe allergic reaction

The biggest advantage of Wegovy Pill is likely

that there is no pain or fear from having to

prick the stomach with a needle. However, it

also has drawbacks in that it must be taken

daily rather than once a week and there are

precautions to follow when taking it.

The domestic launch date of Wegovy Pill is still

undecided, but although Korea has been included

among the priority launch countries, it is

expected to take some time before domestic

launch because MFDS approval and price

negotiations are required.