Jan. 6, 2026
Novo Nordisk launched the pill version of its popular obesity medication Wegovy on Monday Jan. 5. The firm aimed to capture patients with a cash-pay discount — $149 a month for the lowest starting doses of the medication through April 15. It’s also trying to onboard new patients through a growing number of telehealth providers.
Novo’s direct-to-consumer patient portal, NovoCare, now includes links to seven telehealth companies that can prescribe its medication. The site says the providers, including: 9amHealth, eMed, Form Health, Knownwell, LifeMD, Ro, and Weight Watchers, “are recognized by Novo Nordisk for legitimate medicine sourcing and patient support,” but that the company “does not endorse these health care providers or organizations.”
Some of the telehealth providers promoted access to the Wegovy pill through their websites in announcements Monday morning. (GoodRx, which launched a weight loss telehealth program in November, also said it would soon offer Wegovy pill prescriptions.) Through such “co-branding”, telehealth providers look to increase the volume of patients coming to them for in-demand meds, while the drug makers hope to increase sales.
LEARN MORE About The Market for Medical Weight Loss Programs
Marketdata LLC has published a 154-page analysis of the U.S. weight loss market, entitled: “The U.S. Medical Weight Loss Market: The Impact of GLP-1 Drugs on Doctors, Hospitals, Clinics and Franchises”, February 2025. This report presents a complete picture of the medical weight loss market in the United States, with the inter-relationships between competing MDs, clinics, surgeons, commercial weight loss companies and pharmaceutical firms.
At no other time in the U.S. weight loss market history has one product so dominated the market as have the new GLP-1 weight loss drugs. American dieters have flocked to them, shunning commercial weight loss programs such as Weight Watchers, Medifast, as well as retail and MLM meal replacements.
Demand soared in 2023 and 2024 for Ozempic, Wegovy, Saxenda, Mounjaro and Zepbound — with more new drugs coming in the next few years.
The booming market for GLP-1 drugs has attracted physicians, nurses, dieticians, telemedicine services, medical weight loss franchises, compounding pharmacies, and entrepreneurs – all looking to cash in. However, the party may soon be over for the compounders, as the FDA declared and end to the shortage of the major drugs.
Some Report Findings:
- The value of the U.S. medical weight loss market is estimated to have more than tripled since 2019, to $33.8 billion in 2024. Average annual growth of 12% is forecast through 2028.
- The prescription obesity drugs market soared from $5.0 billion in 2022 to $26.4 billion by 2024, due to the high demand for new GLP-1 drugs. More than 8% of Americans are now estimated to be using them.
- The number of weight loss surgeries has declined 25% since 2022, to 211,000 procedures, as Americans opted for the new drugs instead. This market segment is worth $5.29 billion.
- Hospitals have had a mixed record with weight loss programs. Only 29% of the nation’s hospitals (about 1,400) provide some form of weight loss program – surgery or a non-surgical program.
- Medical weight loss programs represented 11.7% of the total U.S. weight loss market in 2022, but this share is forecast to triple to 36% by 2028.
- Prescription weight loss drugs have stolen major market share from commercial weight loss companies, the meal replacements market, health clubs, the bariatric surgery market, and more.
- The top 11 medical weight loss franchises and regional chains are estimated to generate $264 million in system-wide sales annually. Most franchises are not growing.
Purchase This Report
The report may be purchased at a major end-of-year discount by calling Marketdata. Price: $695 (regular $1,495). Call: 813-971-8080. Table of Contents available, see home page, link for Diet Market – Our Specialty.