Quick answer: the Wegovy pill is a once-daily 25 mg tablet of oral semaglutide, FDA-approved on December 22, 2025, for weight loss in adults.[2][1] In its main trial, adults without diabetes lost an average of 13.6% of their body weight over 64 weeks, versus 2.4% on placebo.[1] It starts at 1.5 mg and steps up every 30 days to 25 mg, and it must be taken on an empty stomach.
This guide covers the label doses, how to take it, the trial results, side effects and how it compares with the weekly injection. For prices, see Wegovy pill cost and the Wegovy pill coupon guide. For the drug itself, see our semaglutide profile.
What is the Wegovy pill?
The Wegovy pill contains semaglutide, the same GLP-1 drug as the Wegovy and Ozempic injections. It is approved, together with a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity, for two uses in adults:[1]
- To reduce excess body weight and keep it off long term, in adults with obesity, or with overweight plus at least one weight-related condition.
- To lower the risk of heart attack, stroke or death from heart disease in adults with established heart disease and obesity or overweight.
Semaglutide is a peptide, which stomach acid normally breaks down. Each tablet includes an absorption enhancer called SNAC (salcaprozate sodium), and absorption happens mainly in the stomach.[1] Even so, only about 1% to 2% of the dose reaches the bloodstream, which is why the tablet dose (25 mg a day) is so much larger than the weekly injection (2.4 mg).[1]
The tablets are not approved for anyone under 18.[1]
Wegovy pill dosage
The label uses a 90-day climb to the maintenance dose to reduce stomach side effects:[1]
| Days | Once-daily tablet dose |
|---|---|
| 1 to 30 | 1.5 mg (starting dose) |
| 31 to 60 | 4 mg |
| 61 to 90 | 9 mg |
| 91 onward | 25 mg (maintenance) |
- If a step is not tolerated, the label says the prescriber can consider delaying the next increase.[1]
- If 25 mg is not tolerated, the label suggests considering a switch to the 1.7 mg weekly Wegovy injection.[1]
- Only one tablet a day. The tablets come in bottles of 30 in four strengths: 1.5, 4, 9 and 25 mg.[1]
Your prescriber decides the pace of increases. For the injection schedule, see our semaglutide dosage chart.
How to take the Wegovy pill
Absorption is easily disrupted, so the timing rules matter:[1]
- Take it in the morning on an empty stomach.
- Swallow it whole with up to 4 ounces (about half a cup) of plain water. No coffee, juice or other drinks.
- Do not split, crush, chew or dissolve the tablet.
- Wait at least 30 minutes before eating, drinking anything else or taking other oral medicines.
Missed dose: skip it and take the next tablet the following day.[1]
Storage: keep the tablets at room temperature in their original bottle, which protects them from moisture. Do not move them to a pill organizer.[1]
Wegovy pill results
The approval rested on the OASIS 4 trial (called Study 7 in the label). It enrolled 307 adults without diabetes who had a BMI of 30 or more, or 27 or more with a weight-related condition. Participants were randomized 2:1 to 25 mg or placebo, with a 12-week dose climb and then 52 weeks on the full dose.[1][3]
| Outcome at 64 weeks | Wegovy pill 25 mg | Placebo |
|---|---|---|
| Average weight change | −13.6% | −2.4% |
| Lost at least 5% | 76.3% | 31.3% |
| Lost at least 10% | 59.8% | 14.4% |
| Lost at least 15% | 47.0% | 5.5% |
| Lost at least 20% | 27.9% | 3.1% |
| Waist circumference | −12.2 cm | −2.8 cm |
Source: FDA label, Table 11 and Table 16.[1] The published paper reports a slightly different placebo figure (−2.2%) from its own analysis.[3]
An earlier trial, OASIS 1, tested a higher 50 mg daily dose and found 15.1% weight loss at 68 weeks versus 2.4% on placebo.[4] That dose was not the one approved.
People with type 2 diabetes: the tablets have not been studied for weight loss in this group. Blood levels of semaglutide from the tablet were lower in people with diabetes than from the 2.4 mg injection, and the label suggests considering other options, including the injection, if the response is inadequate.[1]
Wegovy pill side effects
The side effects match the injection: mostly stomach and bowel problems that are worst while the dose is going up. The label’s common list includes nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, stomach pain, headache, fatigue, indigestion, dizziness, bloating, burping, reflux and hair loss.[1]
In OASIS 4 and the label:
- Stomach side effects: 74.0% on the pill versus 42.2% on placebo.[3]
- Stopping because of side effects: 6.9% versus 5.9%; stomach problems were the main reason (3.4% versus 2%).[1]
- Severe stomach reactions: 2% versus 0%.[1]
- Altered skin sensation (dysesthesia): 5% versus none on placebo.[1]
- Gallstones: 2.5% versus 1% in the tablet trials.[1]
The label also carries a boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumors seen in rodents, plus warnings for pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, kidney injury from dehydration, low blood sugar with insulin or sulfonylureas, allergic reactions, diabetic eye changes and aspiration during anesthesia.[1] For coping tips, see GLP-1 nausea.
Wegovy pill vs the Wegovy injection
| Wegovy pill | Wegovy injection | |
|---|---|---|
| How often | Once daily | Once weekly |
| Maintenance dose | 25 mg | 2.4 mg (7.2 mg also approved) |
| Food rules | Empty stomach, 30-minute wait | None |
| Main trial weight loss | −13.6% at 64 weeks (placebo −2.4%) | −14.9% at 68 weeks (placebo −2.4%) |
| Ages | Adults only | Adults and children 12+ |
Source: FDA label (Study 7 for the pill, Study 2 for the 2.4 mg injection).[1] These were separate trials, so the numbers are not a direct comparison. More detail in oral vs injectable semaglutide.
In people without diabetes, average semaglutide levels from 25 mg daily tablets were similar to the 2.4 mg weekly injection, but more variable from person to person.[1] A Novo Nordisk-funded indirect comparison of the two main trials concluded that weight loss was comparable.[5] No head-to-head trial has been published.
Switching: someone on the 2.4 mg injection can start 25 mg tablets one week after their last shot. Going the other way, the 2.4 mg injection starts the day after the last tablet.[1] See also Wegovy vs Ozempic.
Wegovy pill vs Rybelsus
Rybelsus is also oral semaglutide, but it is approved for type 2 diabetes, not weight loss. Its doses are 3, 7 and 14 mg, and its label adds a heart-risk indication for adults with type 2 diabetes.[7] The two products are not interchangeable mg for mg. More in Rybelsus vs Ozempic.
What’s next
Novo Nordisk reported that FDA accepted a filing to add liver disease (MASH) data to the Wegovy pill label, with a decision expected in the first quarter of 2027.[6]
Questions to ask your clinician
- Is the pill or the weekly injection a better fit for my routine and my other morning medicines?
- How should I handle nausea during the 90-day dose climb?
- I have type 2 diabetes. Is the pill a good choice, or would the injection work better?
- Do any of my medicines need to be spaced around the 30-minute wait?
To compare every oral option, see GLP-1 pills and Foundayo vs the Wegovy pill.
