Superdrug is developing a new weight loss service for the Wegovy pill ahead of the drug’s UK approval, C+D can exclusively reveal.
The health and beauty giant announced last week that it had launched an information register on the Superdrug Online Doctor website to provide updates on a “new oral weight management service currently in development”.
It told C+D today that the service is for Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy pill - the oral version of the drugmaker’s blockbuster semaglutide jab - which is yet to be approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for use in the UK.
Read more: Wegovy pill: First oral GLP-1 weight loss drug launches in US
Superdrug said it is “working closely with the supplier to establish the soonest possible launch date” for the service.
“The launch date is subject to MHRA approval and that approval could be granted in the next couple of months,” it added.
Read more: Eli Lilly’s new GLP-1 weight loss pill gets US approval
The chain previously said that the information register will provide those who sign up with “updates on the service as and when they are released”, including “accurate information on how future treatments work, eligibility, how it is administered and any possible side effects”.
And Superdrug Online Doctor GP Dr Clair Grainger said that as new weight loss treatment options become available, it is “essential that people have access to reliable information from qualified healthcare professionals, rather than unregulated sources”.
Signing up to the register “is not a guarantee of access or eligibility, it is simply a way for people to stay informed through a responsible, regulated channel”, she added.
Read more: Superdrug staff to receive ‘accredited’ healthcare training
It comes after the Wegovy pill became the first oral GLP-1 drug to be approved for weight loss in December.
The once-daily oral treatment hit the US market in January and is “broadly available” at more than 70,000 US pharmacies, manufacturer Novo Nordisk said.
