Weight-loss drug pioneer Novo Nordisk will invest €432 million in upgrading its Athlone plant to produce the tablet form of its Wegovy therapy. The tablet form of the weight-loss drug is now seen as Novo Nordisk’s best route to competing with rival Eli Lilly in the market. Doustdar said the popularity of Wegovy in pill form could eventually outpace that of the injectable version of the drug, which is quite likely given the ease of taking the medicine. The Athlone investment will see the company manufacture Wegovy pills here for markets outside the United States. [ The weight-loss drug revolution looks like a winner for Ireland’s economyOpens in new window ]It also disclosed that trial results for next-generation weight-loss drug CagriSema showed that it did not match the weight loss delivered by Zepbound, raising concern for the group’s future.

Source: The Irish Times March 02, 2026 15:00 UTC