Novo Nordisk A/S has introduced its oral weight-loss medication Wegovy in the United Arab Emirates.
This marks the first launch for the drug outside of the United States.
The Danish pharmaceutical firm announced on Wednesday that the Wegovy oral treatment is now available in the UAE.
Emil Korshoj Larsen, Executive Vice President for International Operations at Novo Nordisk, stated that the company's international rollouts are based on three key factors: patient demand, the readiness of healthcare professionals, and the maturity of local healthcare and telemedicine infrastructure.
He noted that the UAE performs strongly across all these criteria and added that the company plans to introduce Wegovy in other selected countries in the coming months.
The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention approved the drug earlier this week for its indications in weight management and for reducing cardiovascular risk in high-risk individuals.
In a CNBC interview last month, Larsen emphasized that Novo Nordisk is fully committed to the international commercialization of oral Wegovy, which represents a significant market opportunity.
Intense Global Competition in Weight-Loss Drugs
Novo Nordisk is currently facing pressure from shrinking market share in the obesity drug sector, with industry forecasts predicting the global market could surpass $100 billion by 2030.
Although Novo Nordisk was a pioneer in GLP-1 class obesity treatments, Eli Lilly's Mounjaro surpassed Novo Nordisk's Ozempic in the second quarter of 2025 to become the world's top-selling GLP-1 drug.
The US market still accounts for more than half of the revenue for both Novo Nordisk and its main competitor, Eli Lilly, which recently launched its own oral weight-loss drug, Foundayo.
When releasing its first-quarter results in early May, Novo Nordisk indicated that, following regulatory approvals, it planned to launch this oral weight-loss drug in select international markets in the second half of 2026, though specific countries were not disclosed at the time.