Rybelsus is the brand name for the tablet form of semaglutide. Before Rybelsus was developed, the only way to take semaglutide was via a subcutaneous injection.
As some people don’t like taking injections, Novo Nordisk was motivated to develop a tablet form of the medication for those who needed to take it but had difficulty with injections.
What is Rybelsus?
Rybelsus was approved for use in the USA in September 2019. A few months later, in 2020, the revolutionary drug was approved for use in the UK in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
Rybelsus is the first and currently only oral GLP-1 receptor agonist in the world and should be taken daily to reap similar benefits as the once-weekly semaglutide injection.
However, this dosing schedule suits many patients, as taking a tablet at the same time each day is fairly easy to incorporate into a daily routine. This is particularly true if you consider that Rybelsus should be taken as soon as you wake up, at least 30-60 minutes before your first meal of the day.
For some, consistent daily dosing may work better than weekly injections, and thanks to the development of Rybelsus, this is now an option for those needing to take semaglutide.
Is Rybelsus semaglutide?
Yes! Rybelsus tablets contain semaglutide as their active ingredient and are available in 3mg, 7mg, and 14 mg strengths. Most people are told to take 3mg of Rybelsus daily for 30 days before moving to the maintenance dose of 7mg daily.
However, some people may need to take a 14mg tablet each day if the 7mg variation doesn’t manage their condition. There are no studies directly comparing semaglutide injections to Rybelsus tablets.
1.0mg a week of semaglutide injections results in similar efficacy, approximately 7 –14 mg a day of Rybelsus in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Who owns Rybelsus?
Rybelsus was developed by Novo Nordisk – the same pharmaceutical company that developed other GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs such as Wegovy and Ozempic injections (semaglutide) and Victoza and Saxenda injections (liraglutide).
Novo Nordisk owns the patent for Rybelsus, which expires between 2029 and 2034. Therefore, it’s unlikely that we’ll see any generic versions of oral semaglutide until then.
However, this doesn’t necessarily mean bad news for the general population, it just means that Rybelsus will be the only oral version of semaglutide available for a while.
Novo Nordisk realised the demand for an oral GLP-1 receptor agonist and set up a team of scientists and researchers to convert semaglutide from an injectable medication into an oral one.
Their development means that many patients are now able to choose between a weekly injection and a daily tablet to manage their condition—something that wasn’t an option before Rybelsus’ revolutionary development.
