The eagerly anticipated Wegovy Pill has officially gone on sale at Superdrug for as little as £79 per month.
The high-street pharmacy announced that it is taking requests from Britons looking to get hold of the blockbuster treatment, which is the oral, tablet form of the popular Wegovy injection.
Around 2.5million adults in the UK are thought to be using fat-busting jabs, but the arrival of the new pill has opened the door for millions more.
New patients can access a month’s supply of the lowest 1.5mg dose for £79 through Superdrug’s Online Doctor service using a £20 welcome discount code. However, existing patients will pay £99.
On average, the lowest dose of the once-weekly injection – 0.25mg – costs between £80 and £140 per month in the UK.
Trial results of the new pill, which is taken daily, found that patients lost around 17 per cent of their body weight after 64 weeks on the highest dose, 25mg.
This means it is slightly less effective than the jabs, which tend to trigger up to a 20.7 per cent reduction.
Superdrug is currently stocking the pill at doses of 1.5mg and 4mg, with higher doses at 9mg and 25mg coming soon.
The Wegovy Pill has officially gone on sale at Superdrug for as little as £79 per month
A month’s supply of the 4mg tablets will cost £119 for existing patients and £99 for new patients.
The 9mg dose will be priced at £169 and £149 respectively, while the highest 25mg dose will cost £229 for existing patients and £209 for new patients.
Those requesting the treatment must complete an online questionnaire detailing information such as their height, weight, ethnicity and medical history.
SheMed, the women’s healthcare provider, are also set to offer the drug from next week at a competitive price, with a month’s supply costing £69.
Ongoing supply will be priced on dosage, with the strongest 25mg pills costing £269 a month thereafter.
Dr Clair Grainger, GP at Superdrug Online Doctor, said: ‘Following regulatory approval, we’ve seen strong interest in our information register. With prescribing now underway, people can now complete their consultation and access treatment if clinically appropriate, whether that’s online, in pharmacy, or in clinic.
‘Obesity is a complex medical issue, and any treatment will only be prescribed following a thorough clinical assessment against eligibility criteria.’
The tablet contains the same active ingredient as the Wegovy injection, semaglutide, which mimics a hormone in the gut released after eating.
This, in turn, reduces hunger, and makes patients feel fuller for longer.
Adults with a body mass index of more than 30, which is classed as obese, are among those who can be prescribed the pill.
It is only available privately at this stage.
The tablet can also be given to those with a BMI between 27 and 30 who have a ‘weight-related’ medical condition.
Patients already taking 0.5mg or 1mg doses of injectable Wegovy can switch to the 9mg tablets, while those using the 1.7mg, 2.4mg or 7.2mg injection can move to the 25mg tablets, if medically approved.
Anyone switching from injections will need to wait one week after their final jab before starting the tablets.
The pill was approved for UK use last month by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, but that does not mean that the drug is available on the NHS.
It is understood that manufacturer Novo Nordisk will meet with the Government to discuss rolling out the pill on the NHS – with the price of the drug thought to be the sticking point.
Demand for the tablet is now expected to soar, with experts predicting many people who were reluctant to use injections will be more willing to try an oral alternative.
