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MedPal AI PLC on Friday said the UK approval of the first oral GLP-1 treatment for weight loss could boost demand for its newly launched private weight management clinic, New Health. The London-based digital health and AI company noted that the UK’s Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has granted marketing authorisation to Novo Nordisk’s oral semaglutide tablet for weight loss and weight management. Shares in MedPal jumped 26% to 3.90 pence in London on Friday morning. Novo Nordisk’s shares were flat at kr282.40 in Copenhagen. The prescription-only treatment is approved for adults who are obese, with a body mass index of 30 or above, or overweight, with a BMI between 27 and 30. The drug is not yet available through the National Health Service and remains under review by the National Institute for Health & Care Excellence, meaning private providers are currently the only route of access. MedPal said the approval is ‘directly relevant’ to New Health, its private GLP-1 weight management clinic. The company pointed to strong early demand in the US, where the product launched in January. According to Novo Nordisk, prescriptions exceeded three million in just over five months, with more than 80% of users new to GLP-1 therapy. MedPal said the oral formulation could expand the market by attracting patients reluctant to use injectable treatments, and it believes its AI-supported triage, clinician-led prescribing, and robotic dispensing model positions it to meet anticipated demand. Chief Executive Officer Jason Drummond said: ‘This approval has arrived faster than the market expected, and the timing for New Health could hardly be better.’ He added that the US data suggested the oral treatment was ‘unlocking an entirely new patient population, not simply switching existing ones’. Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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