A new era for weight loss drugs from Marketplace.

I'm Sabri Beneshore in for David Brancaccio.

GLP1 weight loss drug injections have slimmed many waistlines and wallets.

They are not cheap.

A much less expensive alternative has now been approved by U.S. regulators.

Novo Nordisk has gotten the green light for an oral version of Wagovi.

Pills are cheaper to manufacture than injectables, and that could be a game changer.

Marketplace's Nova Saffo has more.

The Food and Drug Administration's approval of a once-a-day pill form of Wagovi sets up the likelihood that it could be

sold for far less than the once-a-week injectable form, which has a list price of as much as $1,000 a month.

Manufacturer Novo Nordisk says the pills will be as little as $150 a month for a starter dose,

though patients have to increase their dose later and higher doses

could cost more. The company is promising full pricing information in early January when the pills

become available in the U.S. The likelihood of a lower-cost pill could help many people who currently

can't access GLP1 medications because their insurance plans won't cover the expensive

treatments for weight loss alone. The drugs were initially intended to treat diabetes.

Meanwhile, a health insurer-funded study found that employer health plans that do cover the

drugs saw premiums increased by as much as 14% because of the higher costs.

I'm Novosafho for Marketplace.

So how's everyone feeling about the economy?

Later this morning, we will get an idea when the conference board's Consumer Confidence Index comes out.

The analysts who track this stuff expect people to be feeling a little better after a big drop in mood in November. The government

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