Approval of First Oral GLP-1 for Weight Loss in UK

MedPal AI plc (AIM: MPAL; FRA: Z1N), the AI-native digital health and pharmacy group, is pleased to provide an update on the commercial development of its private weight management clinic, New Health, operating at new.co.uk.

MedPal AI notes the announcement by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) granting UK marketing authorisation for the first oral GLP-1 receptor agonist tablet (oral semaglutide) for weight loss and weight management. In the Board's view, this approval has come sooner than the market had anticipated.

The approval, granted to Novo Nordisk, makes the tablet available on a prescription-only basis to adults who are obese (BMI of 30 or above) or overweight (BMI of 27 to 30). The tablet is not currently available on the NHS and remains subject to evaluation by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), meaning private provision is presently the only route to access.

Strong early demand in the United States

The Board considers the US launch of the same oral semaglutide product, which began in January 2026, to be an instructive leading indicator of likely UK demand. According to Novo Nordisk's announcement of 7 June 2026, US prescriptions for the tablet surpassed three million in just over five months - equivalent to approximately one prescription filled every five seconds - making it one of the strongest US pharmaceutical launches by volume on record. Materially, Novo Nordisk reported that more than 80% of new pill prescriptions were for patients new to GLP-1 therapy, indicating that the oral formulation is expanding the treatable population rather than displacing existing injectable users.

Relevance to MedPal and New Health

The Board believes this development is directly relevant to the Group's private GLP-1 weight management clinic, New Health (new.co.uk). An orally administered option broadens the addressable market by reaching patients who are reluctant to self-inject and supports adherence and retention through a more convenient daily format - a dynamic borne out by the US uptake data above. Because UK access is presently limited to the private channel pending NICE review, the Board believes MedPal's vertically integrated model - AI-supported triage, human-in-the-loop clinical prescribing, and robotic dispensing - positions New Health to respond to anticipated patient demand.

The timing of the approval is particularly significant for the Group, coinciding closely with the national launch of New Health. The Company will provide a further update on its commercial plans in due course.

Jason Drummond, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of MedPal AI plc, commented:

"This approval has arrived faster than the market expected, and the timing for New Health could hardly be better. The US data is striking - three million prescriptions in five months, with the overwhelming majority going to people who had never used a GLP-1 before. That tells us the oral format is unlocking an entirely new patient population, not simply switching existing ones. New Health was built for exactly this moment: clinician-led, technology-enabled, and ready to make this treatment available safely and at scale as we take our national campaign live."

The Directors of the Company are responsible for the contents of this announcement