Obesity drug Wegovy reduces coronary heart assaults and strokes danger by 20%, exhibits research

Novo Nordisk A/S shares surged to a file after the Danish firm’s blockbuster obesity medication Wegovy lowered the danger of heart attacks and strokes in a extremely anticipated research, giving it one other potential increase.

Patients with weight problems or obese and with a historical past of cardiovascular points taking the Novo drug had been 20% much less more likely to endure a cardio occasion than those that took a placebo, the Danish drugmaker mentioned on Tuesday. The medication’s security within the research was consistent with earlier trials.

The inventory rose as a lot as 16.7%, the most important intraday bounce in 20 years.

The research outcomes will virtually definitely bolster the already excessive demand for Novo’s medication and should help reimbursement discussions with insurers by documenting a well being profit past the results of weight reduction. The drugmaker mentioned it plans to file for an enlargement of its label within the US and EU this 12 months. Currently the medicines are prohibitively costly for a lot of sufferers, costing upwards of $10,000 a 12 months within the US.

Begun in 2018, the Select trial adopted greater than 17,000 sufferers in 41 nations, specializing in individuals aged 45 and over with a historical past of heart problems.

The magnitude of the profit is a best-case state of affairs, with most buyers anticipating an enchancment nearer to fifteen%, Jefferies analysts wrote in a word. Sales of Wegovy could attain $14 billion, they mentioned.

Novo has been within the limelight after celebrities and key enterprise executives mentioned they had been utilizing its diabetes and weight problems medication, known as Ozempic and Wegovy, to shed kilos. Both medicines are injected and share the identical lively ingredient, semaglutide.

Demand was such that the corporate has struggled with its manufacturing tempo, forcing Novo to quickly scale back the provision of some dosages within the US. Denmark reported a scarcity of Ozempic this week as nicely.

Analysts have estimated weight problems medication may develop into among the largest pharma blockbusters of all time, with Novo main the pack. A rival drug from Eli Lilly & Co is anticipated to obtain approval this 12 months.

This story has been revealed from a wire company feed with out modifications to the textual content. Only the headline has been modified.