The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved a pill version of the blockbuster weight-loss injectable drug Wegovy, offering patients who fear or are uncomfortable with needles a more palatable option.

From a medical perspective, their effectiveness is thrilling, and patients welcomed them with practically religious reverence. Paul Ford, who has always struggled with his appetite, wrote in Wired that “where before my brain had been screaming, screaming, at air-raid volume — there was sudden silence” once he was on one of these drugs. “At an... See more