2023-08-09 05:11:00
Preliminary results of the study show that patients taking the drug Wegovy (semaglutide) – prescribed for weight loss – are 20% less likely to suffer from a cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke, said the laboratory in a press release published on its site.
The study was conducted on 17,604 45-year-old adults who were either overweight or obese. They received the drug or a placebo over a period of five years.
“We are very pleased with the results,” said Martin Holst Lange, CEO in charge of development at Novo Nordisk – world number one in insulin.
On the Copenhagen Stock Exchange, the title ended up 17%.
“Although the results of the study (…) have yet to be confirmed by careful peer review, they demonstrate the urgent need to offer patients suffering from obesity this effective and safe drug in order to prevent future diseases”, underlined Simon Cork, doctor and lecturer in physiology at Anglia Ruskin University in the United Kingdom, who notes that obesity and its consequences on health cost the British public health system “more than 6 billion books per year.
“This will not only result in significant financial savings for healthcare organizations, but also for those affected to benefit from a better quality of life,” he said.
Danish company Novo Nordisk, which produces both Wegovy and Ozempic – another diabetes treatment – reported in May a 39% rise in net profit in the first quarter compared to the same period. in 2022, generated by the sale of obesity treatments.
In mid-July, the European Medicines Agency, headquartered in Amsterdam, announced that it was reviewing “data on the risks of suicidal thoughts and self-harm with medicines (…), including Ozempic (semaglutide), Saxenda (liraglutide) and Wegovy (semaglutide)”.
Novo Nordisk expects to file an application for authorization this year to extend the Wegovy indication in the United States and the European Union, according to the press release.
Detailed results of the trial will be presented at a scientific conference later in 2023.
Competition for obesity treatments is fierce in the pharmaceutical industry: more than a billion people worldwide are obese, according to the WHO.
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