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Real-world study: people switching from weight-loss jabs to Wegovy pill kept losing weight

Early real-world data from the OCTANE study, presented at the EASD meeting in Milan, suggests people who switched from GLP-1 injections to the Wegovy pill kept losing weight over about three months. The study is observational and its longer-term value is not yet established.

2 outlets · 1L · 0C · 1R First reported Account updated
Image: Daily Mirror
Image: Daily Mail

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The story, neutrally told

An observational study called OCTANE found that people who switched from injectable GLP-1 weight-loss drugs to the Wegovy pill continued to lose weight over three months. It covered about 200 people (194, according to the Daily Mail) and was presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Milan. The Daily Mail reports that the share of participants classed as obese fell from 87% to 66%, nearly half lost at least 5% of body weight, and 87% took the pill daily.

Study co-lead Prof Louis Aronne of Weill Cornell Medicine said a switch to the oral drug "may be a viable path for the right patient". George Godfrey of Novo (Novo Nordisk) called the results encouraging, saying most patients took their medicine consistently. Both papers link the pill's appeal to injection dislike, cost and side effects; the Mail cites separate research that almost two thirds of patients stop the jab within a year.

The Mail says the pill has been available privately in the UK since July 2026 but is not yet on NHS prescription, with price thought to be the sticking point; the Mirror says most UK users pay £100 to £350 a month privately for GLP-1 drugs. The Mail cautions that more research is needed to show whether the pill gives more sustainable weight loss than jabs.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.

Left1 outlet

Framing
Health-news write-up focused on the study result as a route to keeping weight off for people who dislike needles, with background on GLP-1 access and cost.
Emphasis
Average 4kg (4%) loss, Novo and Aronne quotes, NHS rationing and private prices, and Aronne's views on prevention.
Leaves out or plays down
Omits the obesity-category shift, adherence figure, and the caveat that sustainability is unproven; does not say the pill is unavailable on the NHS.
Charged language
“piling all the weight back on”“dramatic weight loss”
For example
“Jabs have been shown to result in dramatic weight loss of up to a quarter of users’ body weight” — Daily Mirror
“GLP-1 drugs are still being rationed by the NHS for the most seriously obese and unwell” — Daily Mirror

Centre0 outlets

No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Right1 outlet

Framing
Leads on the pill matching the jab and helping slimmers beat plateaus, with more study numbers and UK availability detail.
Emphasis
Percentages of participants losing weight, fall in obesity, adherence, waiting lists, private launch and NHS pricing talks.
Leaves out or plays down
Does not mention the Mirror's cost range for private prescriptions; the 'just as effective' headline is stronger than the study's observational design supports on its own.
Charged language
“blockbuster”“stubborn pounds”“monumental”
For example
“could help slimmers shift stubborn pounds after weight loss plateaus” — Daily Mail
“Take‑up of the pill is expected to be monumental” — Daily Mail