The tests showed that the active ingredient taken by mouth led to a statistically significantly greater reduction in blood sugar levels in 10 to 17 year olds after 26 weeks compared to a placebo.Image: EPA
April 23, 2026, 1:21 p.mApril 23, 2026, 1:21 p.m
The Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk wants to apply for the approval of important diabetes preparations for children and adolescents. The relevant documents for the expansion of the Ozempic tablet and the drug Rybelsus for type 2 diabetes are to be submitted in the USA and the EU in the second half of the year, the company in Bagsvaerd announced.
The basis is the results of an advanced phase 3 study with the active ingredient semaglutide, which is the basis of both medications. The tests showed that the active ingredient taken by mouth led to a statistically significantly greater reduction in blood sugar levels in 10 to 17 year olds after 26 weeks compared to a placebo.
The drug was also well tolerated. According to Novo Nordisk, this is the first time that an oral drug based on the intestinal hormone GLP-1 has been tested in younger people, for whom only limited therapies have previously been available.
Hype about diabetes and weight loss products
The market for diabetes and weight loss products is booming. Ozempic as a diabetes medication is also used by adults as a weight reducer. But the former market leader Novo Nordisk had recently increasingly fallen behind its competitor Eli Lilly.
In addition, thanks to regulatory loopholes, pharmacies and other manufacturers in the USA brought cheaper copies of weight-loss medications onto the market. Industry observers therefore see innovations such as tablet solutions and the development of new patient groups as important competitive factors.
Shares in Novo Nordisk have been under pressure for some time; the group announced in the fall that it would cut around 9,000 jobs and expects lower sales in 2026 – it would be the first decline in almost a decade. (sda/awp/dpa)