By Bhanvi Satija and Christy Santhosh

June 11 (Reuters) - Britain's medicines regulator approved

Novo Nordisk's weight-loss pill on Thursday, giving

patients a new needle-free obesity treatment option and

bolstering the Danish drugmaker's first-to-market lead against

U.S. rival Eli Lilly ( LLY ).

The approval gives more than 10 million people living in

England a more convenient alternative as drugmakers race to

expand use of the medicines, which have transformed demand for

weight-loss treatments and reshaped the pharmaceutical industry.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has

approved Wegovy pill for adults with obesity who have a body

mass index of 30 or above, or those with a BMI between 27 and 30

and at least one related condition.

The approval will be followed by an assessment by Britain's

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence before the

pill becomes available on the NHS.

Until then, patients can access the pill through private

providers. Novo expects the drug to be available via private

prescription within weeks.

Danielle Brightman, clinical director at digital healthcare

platform Numan, said approval for oral means "better access for

more people battling obesity".

Obesity affects about 30% of adults in England, equivalent

to an estimated 13 million to 14 million people, according to

latest estimates by NHS England.

Novo's pill contains semaglutide, the same active ingredient

used in its blockbuster injectable drugs Wegovy for weight loss

and Ozempic for diabetes.