Novo Nordisk Highlights Weight Loss and Mobility Benefits of Oral Wegovy at ECO2026

Novo Nordisk presented new analyses from its Phase 3 OASIS 4 clinical trial at the 2026 European Congress on Obesity, reporting that adults with obesity treated with oral semaglutide 25 mg (Wegovy) achieved substantial weight loss and improvements in physical function.¹

According to the company, nearly one-third of participants receiving oral Wegovy were classified as “early responders,” defined as achieving at least 10% weight loss by week 16. This subgroup experienced an average 13.2% weight reduction after four months of treatment and reached 21.6% weight loss by week 64.¹ Participants who did not meet the early-response threshold still achieved an average 11.5% weight loss by the end of the trial, which investigators described as clinically meaningful.¹

“It is important for patients and healthcare professionals to understand that there are differences in the early rapidity of weight loss following initiation of treatment with oral semaglutide 25 mg,” said W. Timothy Garvey, MD, Department of Nutrition Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, in the company announcement.¹

The OASIS 4 study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 trial evaluating once-daily oral Wegovy 25 mg in adults with obesity or overweight with at least one weight-related comorbidity, excluding type 2 diabetes. Participants were randomized 2:1 to receive oral Wegovy or placebo over 64 weeks.¹

Mobility Improvements Expand Clinical Picture

Separate analyses presented at ECO2026 focused on physical function outcomes among participants with impaired mobility at baseline. Novo Nordisk reported that 77.3% of patients receiving oral Wegovy achieved clinically meaningful improvements in physical function scores compared with 42.9% in the placebo arm.¹

The assessed measures included mobility-related activities such as bending, standing comfortably, and maintaining physical activity endurance. The company stated that patients with poor baseline physical function achieved weight-loss outcomes similar to those observed in the broader treatment population.¹

Obesity is increasingly recognized as a chronic and progressive disease associated with impaired mobility, cardiovascular disease, metabolic dysfunction, and reduced quality of life.² Clinical experts note that improvements in physical functioning may become an increasingly important endpoint in obesity trials as therapies demonstrate greater efficacy in long-term weight management.²

Comparative Analyses Spotlight Oral GLP-1 Competition

Novo Nordisk also presented findings from the ORION indirect treatment comparison and the OPTIC patient preference analyses, which compared oral Wegovy with Eli Lilly’s investigational oral GLP-1 receptor agonist orforglipron.¹ According to Novo Nordisk, oral Wegovy demonstrated greater average weight loss and lower odds of treatment discontinuation related to gastrointestinal adverse events.¹

The company reported that orforglipron was associated with approximately 14-fold higher odds of treatment discontinuation due to gastrointestinal side effects in the indirect comparison analysis.¹ In the OPTIC preference study, 84% of surveyed participants favored a treatment profile similar to oral Wegovy over that of orforglipron.¹

The broader obesity therapeutics market continues to expand rapidly as manufacturers pursue oral alternatives to injectable GLP-1 therapies. Analysts view oral semaglutide as a potentially important option for patients seeking noninjectable obesity treatments while maintaining efficacy comparable to injectable formulations.³

Expanding Evidence for Oral Semaglutide

Novo Nordisk said the new analyses reinforce previously reported OASIS 4 findings, in which adults receiving oral Wegovy achieved average weight loss of 17% versus 2.7% with placebo.¹ The safety profile remained consistent with the established GLP-1 receptor agonist class, with gastrointestinal adverse events representing the most common side effects.¹

References

1. Wegovy® pill delivered 21.6% weight loss in early responders and doubled mobility improvement, according to new Novo Nordisk data at ECO2026. (2026, May 13). Novo Nordisk. https://www.novonordisk.com/content/nncorp/global/en/news-and-media/news-and-ir-materials/news-details.html?id=916548
2. Rubino, D., Abrahamsson, N., Davies, M., et al. (2021 Mar 23). Effect of continued weekly subcutaneous semaglutide vs placebo on weight loss maintenance in adults with overweight or obesity: The STEP 4 randomized clinical trial. JAMA. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2777886
3. Research Study Investigating How Well Oral Semaglutide Works in People Living With Obesity (OASIS 4) (NCT05564117). (2026). Clinicaltrials.gov. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05564117