The Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk has officially brought to the U.S. market a tablet version of its popular GLP-1-class drug known under the Ozempic brand. Since May 4, the drug in tablet form has been available to adult patients with type 2 diabetes.
Until now, Ozempic had been associated primarily with injections. It was the injections that made GLP-1 drugs both famous and somewhat intimidating for some patients. Now treatment is gradually moving into a more convenient tablet format. The company also reported promising results from the first large study of a tablet GLP-1 form in children and teenagers aged 10 to 17 with type 2 diabetes.
This is especially important because type 2 diabetes is rapidly becoming more common at younger ages. The disease is being diagnosed more and more often in teenagers. Against this backdrop, the appearance of a tablet form of a diabetes drug could make treatment noticeably more convenient and accessible.
