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Wegovy pill approved by US FDA for weight loss

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Wegovy pill approved by US FDA for weight loss


The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a pill version of the weight-loss drug Wegovy, according to pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk.

It is the first pill of its kind to receive approval from the regulator, marking a new era for weight-loss drugs.

Wegovy’s Danish makers Novo Nordisk said the once-daily pill was a “convenient option” to the injectable and would provide the same weight loss as the shot. It comes after Wegovy was approved by the FDA specifically for weight loss.

Others like Ozempic, which has similar weight-loss effects, were primarily approved for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes.

The BBC has contacted the FDA for comment.

The Wegovy pill showed an average weight loss of 16.6% during Novo Nordisk’s trials, the firm said on Monday.

A third of around 1,300 participants experienced 20% or greater weight loss in the same trial, it added.

The pill is expected to be launched in the US in early January 2026.

“Patients will have a convenient, once-daily pill that can help them lose as much weight as the original Wegovy injection,” said Mike Doustdar, the firm’s chief executive.

The pill version of Wegovy could give Novo Nordisk’s sales a boost after a challenging year which saw its shares slide as it warned over its profits.

The company has faced intense competition in the weight-loss market from rival drugmakers like Eli Lilly.

Novo Nordisk’s shares rose by almost 10% in after-hours trade in New York after the announcement.



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Jersey Election 2026: Cost of living concern in St Helier Central

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Jersey Election 2026: Cost of living concern in St Helier Central



The BBC has heard concerns about poverty and cost of living from St Helier Central voters.



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Versant stock jumps 10% after company’s Q1 report shows bright spots in licensing, platforms

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Versant stock jumps 10% after company’s Q1 report shows bright spots in licensing, platforms


Versant Media Group on Thursday unveiled results for its most recent quarter — its first as a stand-alone company after separating from Comcast’s NBCUniversal and beginning to trade on the Nasdaq earlier this year.

The report revealed continued pressure in the traditional pay TV bundle but highlighted growth in digital platform and licensing businesses.

Versant stock rose roughly 10% in early trading.

Linear distribution revenue for its pay TV networks — which include CNBC, MS NOW and the Golf Channel as well as USA, E!, Syfy and Oxygen — was down roughly 7% during the period to $1.01 billion. The company said that was due to subscriber declines and partially offset by rate increases.

Advertising revenue for the first quarter fell 5% to $368 million, which was considered an improvement from the same period last year when it posted a 12% decline.

Revenue from content licensing, however, rose 113.5% to $121 million, due largely to the licensing of the longtime reality TV series hit “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” and other related content to Disney’s Hulu.

Revenue from Versant’s platforms business, which includes Fandango, GolfNow and some of the already launched direct-to-consumer units, was up 9.5% to $192 million.

CEO Mark Lazarus said on Thursday’s earnings call with investors that the company aims to “build scale and expand our audiences” in direct-to-consumer.

“Yes, we hope that comes with a large base of subscribers, and we’ll gauge ourselves as [to] how do revenues look across all of our various forms of distributing content,” he said.

Lazarus added that the company is working to make sure it grows “revenue diversification within each of our verticals.”

More than 80% of Versant’s revenue comes from the pay TV business. However, executives have told Wall Street that it aims to eventually rebalance its revenue mix so that 50% is derived from its digital, platform, subscription, ad-supported and transactional businesses.

Overall revenue for the period ended March 31 was down about 1% compared with the same quarter last year to $1.69 billion. Wall Street analysts polled by LSEG had expected revenue of $1.62 billion.

Net income attributable to Versant decreased 22% to $286 million, or $1.99 per share, for the quarter, which the company said was due to lower revenue, higher public company costs and interest expense following the spinout from Comcast. This was partially offset by lower taxes during the quarter, it said.

Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization fell 7% from the same period last year to $704 million.

When compared with stand-alone adjusted EBITDA, a metric to more directly compare performance of the pre-spin portfolio companies to current results, adjusted EBITDA was up about 5%, Versant said. That was due to lower entertainment programming expenses and reduced selling, general and administrative costs, which offset revenue declines.

Growth avenues

Versant has consistently touted its strength in sports and news. On Thursday the company highlighted viewership increases for CNBC and MS NOW as well as continued momentum for the Golf Channel and other live sports and events on its networks.

The company has been exploring growth through mergers and acquisitions, and obtaining more sports rights. On Thursday, Lazarus said Versant has been “looking in a variety of areas” when it comes to potential deals.

CFO and COO Anand Kini added during Thursday’s call that while exploring M&A remains a part of Versant’s strategy, the company is also looking to maintain a healthy balance sheet and is focused on organic growth within its businesses.

“Our platforms revenue growth this quarter demonstrates that was really organic growth in GolfNow and Fandango,” Kini said. “So we’re going to look when there’s opportunities that are inorganic, [but] they have a very high threshold even as they fit within those markets and those strategies.”

The company also continued on its earlier pledge of returning capital to its shareholders, mainly due to its light debt load.

The company on Thursday declared a quarterly cash dividend for the second quarter in a row, each time at 37.5 cents per share. The new dividend is payable on July 22 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on July 1.

Versant also announced that it expects to enter into a $100 million accelerated share repurchase agreement, beginning Friday, which it anticipates completing during the second quarter. Versant repurchased nearly 2.7 million shares of Class A common stock during the first quarter, with a remaining authorization of roughly $900 million as of March 31, it said.

Disclosure: Versant is the parent company of CNBC.

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Tate & Lyle in talks over £2.7bn takeover tilt from US rival

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Tate & Lyle in talks over £2.7bn takeover tilt from US rival



Sweetener and ingredients firm Tate & Lyle has revealed talks over a possible £2.7 billion takeover by US rival Ingredion Incorporated in the latest swoop on a UK company.

London-listed Tate & Lyle said it had received an approach from Illinois-based Ingredion worth 615p per share in cash, which follows a number of earlier proposals.

Tate and Ingredion are now in discussions, but Tate stressed there was no certainty an offer will be made.

Ingredion has until 5pm on June 11 to make a firm offer or walk away under Takeover Panel rules.

It comes amid a spate of approaches for British firms by overseas suitors, with laboratory testing company Intertek earlier this week giving its backing to a £9.4 billion proposal from Swedish firm EQT.

Shares in Tate & Lyle soared by over 50% in afternoon trading on Thursday.

But the takeover tilt comes after shares have come under pressure over the past year, with Tate warning over full-year profits last October and revealing a 10% drop in first half profits in November.

Tate & Lyle last year bought food and drink ingredients business CP Kelco in a deal worth around £1.4 billion.



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