Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk is launching its once-daily Wegovy pill in the United States on Monday, offering doses of 1.5 milligrams and 4 mg at $149 per month for self-paying patients in an intensely competitive weight-loss drug market.

The pill was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last month, a boon to Novo Nordisk as it looks to regain ground lost to U.S. rival Eli Lilly. Lilly has previously said it expects a decision in March for its own weight-loss pill.

Novo’s pill will also be sold in 9 mg and a higher long-term dose of 25 mg. The two higher doses will be priced at $299 for a month’s supply, while the 4 mg dose will rise to $199 from April 15, the drugmaker’s website shows.

The Wegovy pill could attract new consumers as Novo looks to revive its fortunes after profit warnings and sliding shares last year. The treatment offers more flexibility and an alternative for those who dislike needles used in injectable medication.

The once-daily pill is also under review by other regulators, with a UK decision due by year-end.

Denmark-listed shares of the drugmaker closed 5% higher on Monday. U.S.-listed shares of Novo were up 4.6%, while Lilly slipped 3.5% in afternoon trading.

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The success of Novo’s pill will be tied to attracting cash-paying consumers who cannot get insurance coverage, a stark shift from the dominant business model where drug pricing is managed through health insurance plans.

Novo said the treatment would be available through U.S. pharmacies CVS and Costco, as well as through telehealth providers including Ro, LifeMD, WeightWatchers, GoodRx and its own NovoCare Pharmacy.

Shares of the telehealth firms rose between 3% and 14% in afternoon trading.

The low 1.5 mg dose is the starter dose for the Wegovy pill, which is made up of semaglutide, the same active ingredient found in its blockbuster injectable weight-loss and diabetes treatments marketed under the brand names Wegovy and Ozempic.

Novo also offers the 1.5 mg dose for its oral semaglutide drug for type 2 diabetes, sold as Rybelsus.

The remaining doses of the Wegovy pill will be available for patients by the end of this week, Novo said.

Lilly plans to cap higher doses of its obesity pill, if approved, at $399 a month for repeat cash buyers. Lilly’s injectable drug Zepbound has largely been ahead of Novo’s Wegovy in weekly U.S. prescriptions over the past year.

U.S. list prices for the injectables are about $1,000 per month or more. Both companies have reduced prices of their injectables for customers paying in cash rather than using health insurance.

Novo began selling its Wegovy injection at $349 a month to cash payers in November.

Under a deal with U.S. President Donald Trump, Novo and Lilly also agreed to offer starter doses of their weight-loss pills at $149 per month for Medicare and Medicaid enrollees, and to cash payers via the White House’s new direct-to-consumer TrumpRx site, which is expected to be launched this month.

Novo had faced repeated supply shortages after launching its Wegovy injection in the U.S. But having built up supplies for its new pill for some time to prevent similar challenges, Novo said it was confident it could meet supply needs.

(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen in Copenhagen, Bhanvi Satija and Maggie Fick in London, writing by Anna Ringstrom; Editing by Terje Solsvik, Adam Jourdan, Bernadette Baum and Alan Barona)

Former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino teased big announcements on Monday as he prepares to return to the airwaves following his short stint inside the Trump administration.

Bongino said he wants to push the conservative movement back to foundational principles and call out voices on the Right that he believes are threatening conservatism heading into the important 2026 midterm elections. Despite leaving the FBI last month, Bongino has remained a loyal supporter of President Donald Trump and his agenda.

“I started in this movement as a candidate during the Tea Party movement, and I began my political commentary career shortly thereafter. I helped build this movement and I sure as hell am not going to let it get hijacked by a group of black-pillers, life-losers, grifters and bums,” Bongino said.

“We are a movement guided by truth. The essence of conservative ideology is the preservation of eternal truths. We are not the ‘latest thing’ group. We are not political cannibals,” he added. “I’ve watched quietly from the inside while doing the job I was hired to do, but I’m back now, and it’s time to restore balance to the force.”

Bongino’s return to podcasting and his vow to take on “grifters and bums” comes at a defining moment for the conservative movement. Last month, during Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest, one of the largest events of the year for conservatives, Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro called out “grifters” on the Right — specifically, Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens — for spouting views that are antithetical to conservative ideals.

In an earlier post on Monday, Bongino promised to reveal the exact date he would return to his show “soon” after he spends some time with his family. Bongino announced on December 17 that he would be leaving the bureau and thanked President Trump, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Attorney General Pam Bondi for the opportunity to serve as deputy director. Bongino’s final day was on Saturday, and he appeared to leave on good terms with Trump and Patel.

“This FBI is saving lives, protecting innocent kids, and taking deadly drugs off our streets at levels not seen in decades. None of it would’ve been possible without Dan’s leadership and support. And he paved the way for even better things to come,” Patel said on Sunday.

Bongino addressed some of the “infighting” on the Right in his post on Monday. Some of the divisions in the conservative movement under the second Trump administration stemmed from the administration’s handling of the Epstein case, with the FBI playing a major role in the investigation. Bongino, along with Patel and Bondi, were criticized over their work investigating the Epstein files after they concluded that there was no Epstein client list.

Bongino did not mention the Epstein saga in his post on Monday, but said that conservatives need to focus on the upcoming midterm elections and blasted those on the Right who spend their time “b*tching and whining.”

“We’ve got midterms coming up, and there’s no time for bullsh*t. This administration is cooking and REAL change simmers. If you’re spending your entire day b*tching and whining with 3/4ths of the term still to go, then please find the exits,” he said. “There’s no time for it. It’s not ‘infighting’ when you excise a cancer killing the host. It’s ‘outfighting’ because you’re not part of any movement I’m familiar with.”