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600,000 New Wegovy® Pill Prescriptions Written in First Two Months
KELOWNA, BC / ACCESS Newswire / April 21, 2026 / Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (NASDAQ:LEXX), (the "Company" or "Lexaria"), a global innovator in drug delivery platforms, provides this update of additional recent developments in the fast-moving glucagon-like peptide-1 ("GLP-1") oral (or "pill") market.
The GLP-1 oral pill sector is growing much faster in 2026 than expected, and faster than the pre-existing GLP-1 injectable sector. The industry's first-ever GLP-1 pill for weight loss, Wegovy®, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") on December 22, 2025 and launched in the US in January 2026. Prior to that, Rybelsus® was the only FDA approved GLP-1 drug available in pill form, but it was approved for diabetes control and only used secondarily (or, "off label") for weight loss.
Within less than the first two months of its launch, Novo Nordisk® had disclosed that over 600,000 prescriptions for the Wegovy® pill had been written, and will report on its first-quarter sales including the Wegovy® pill in May. Both the Wegovy® injectable and the Wegovy® pill contain the same active drug: semaglutide, with which Lexaria has conducted extensive testing to determine compatibility with Lexaria's DehydraTECH™ technology.
According to Global Data Healthcare, 51% of the growth in Wegovy® revenue between 2026 and 2031 is expected to come from the pill format, with injectable semaglutide expected to reach peak revenue in 2030, when Novo Nordisk's Wegovy® semaglutide franchise is expected to reach $15.9 billion in annual revenue. This will be quite an achievement since 2025 semaglutide revenue derived from Wegovy® was 100% in the injectable category, whereas 2031 revenue from Wegovy® products is expected to be 17% from pills.
As Lexaria's press release of March 24 noted, TD Cowen® raised their previous 2030 sales forecast of the overall GLP-1 sector from $101 billion to $139 billion, Roots Analysis is forecasting sales of $180 billion by 2035, while UBS Investment Bank® expects 2029 GLP-1 sales to reach $126 billion.
It is not possible to know in advance, what overall portion of the GLP-1 market will be captured by the oral pill format vs. the traditional injectable format; but, if the Wegovy® based semaglutide revenue projections are any indication, it could certainly be 17% or higher within a few short years of product launch. In fact, according to a Novo Nordisk® executive, oral GLP-1 drugs may account for as much as 33% of the broader GLP-1 market by that time. Based on the various GLP-1 revenue forecasts ranging from $101 billion to $180 billion, this could imply an oral pill sector ranging in size from $17 billion to $60 billion by the mid 2030's.
This oral pill GLP-1 market is the specific market sector that Lexaria's technology is focused on. As noted within an article appearing on CNBC, "Novo Nordisk's new Wegovy® GLP-1 pill appears to be expanding the obesity treatment market, drawing in new patients rather than converting existing ones from injections." If this proves to be a sustainable trend, then a successful GLP-1 pill sector could power the broader GLP-1 market to become even larger than original projections and provide enhanced opportunities for Lexaria's DehydraTECH™.
The onset of GLP-1 drugs has radically changed the diabetes and weight-loss market sectors. The more recent onset of the GLP-1 oral pill sector is now driving revenues faster and further than injectable GLP-1 drugs alone. Lexaria's DehydraTECH™ has demonstrated performance enhancing abilities across three prominent GLP-1 drugs: semaglutide, tirzepatide and liraglutide; and Lexaria's announced 2026 Research & Development program intends to explore DehydraTECH's possible expanded applicability to next generation GLP-1 drugs including, but not limited to, retatrutide and amycretin. Lexaria remains in discussions with pharmaceutical companies related to their potential interest in DehydraTECH™ for their oral GLP-1 strategies.
About Lexaria Bioscience Corp. & DehydraTECH
DehydraTECH™ is Lexaria's patented drug delivery formulation and processing platform technology which improves the way a wide variety of drugs enter the bloodstream, always through oral delivery. DehydraTECH has repeatedly evidenced the ability to increase bio-absorption, reduce side-effects, and deliver some drugs more effectively across the blood brain barrier. Lexaria operates a licensed in-house research laboratory and holds a robust intellectual property portfolio with 65 patents granted and additional patents pending worldwide. For more information, please visit www.lexariabioscience.com.
CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release includes forward-looking statements. Statements as such term is defined under applicable securities laws. These statements may be identified by words such as "anticipate," "if," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "could," "should," "will," and other similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements by the Company relating to the intended use of proceeds from the offering and relating to the Company's ability to carry out research initiatives, receive regulatory approvals or grants or experience positive effects or results from any research or study. Such forward-looking statements are estimates reflecting the Company's best judgment based upon current information and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that the Company will actually achieve the plans, intentions, or expectations disclosed in these forward-looking statements. As such, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those estimated by the Company include, but are not limited to, market and other conditions, government regulation and regulatory approvals, managing and maintaining growth, the effect of adverse publicity, litigation, competition, scientific discovery, the patent application and approval process, potential adverse effects arising from the testing or use of products utilizing the DehydraTECH technology, the Company's ability to maintain existing collaborations and realize the benefits thereof, delays or cancellations of planned R&D that could occur related to pandemics or for other reasons, and other factors which may be identified from time to time in the Company's public announcements and periodic filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on EDGAR. The Company provides links to third-party websites only as a courtesy to readers and disclaims any responsibility for the thoroughness, accuracy or timeliness of information at third-party websites. There is no assurance that any of Lexaria's postulated uses, benefits, or advantages for the patented and patent-pending technology will in fact be realized in any manner or in any part. No statement herein has been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Lexaria-associated products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Any forward-looking statements contained in this release speak only as of the date hereof, and the Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements or links to third-party websites contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law.
INVESTOR CONTACT:
George Jurcic - Head of Investor Relations
ir@lexariabioscience.com
Phone: 250-765-6424, ext 202
SOURCE: Lexaria Bioscience Corp.
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire
