Obesity drug Novo is set to launch in the UK soon, says watchdog, NICE, the country's drug cost-efficiency watchdog, said on Wednesday.
Obesity drug Novo is set to launch in the UK soon, says watchdog, NICE, the country's drug cost-efficiency watchdog, said on Wednesday.
Data from a clinical study showed that Wegovy participants lost an average of 12.4% more body weight than those who received a placebo.
Use of the medicine is restricted to adults who are being treated by a specialist NHS weight control service and have at least one weight-related condition such as B. heart disease and body mass index (BMI), a measure of body fat based on height. and weight, of 35, which indicates obesity, along with adjustments in diet and exercise, NICE said.
It could also be prescribed in certain cases to people with a BMI slightly below the set limit.
The main active ingredient in Wegovy is semaglutide, the same as Ozempic, the Danish drugmaker's blockbuster diabetes drug.
The drugs belong to a family of drugs known as GLP-1 analogs, which were originally developed to control blood sugar but also led to weight loss by causing satiety. Other drug companies also use similar diabetes drugs as weightht loss tools. , patients can inject Wegovy once a week, but the drug is only used for a maximum of two years, NICE said. The regulatory approval was based on clinical data that tracked the drug's safety and effectiveness for approximately two years.
Longer-term data are due to be released later this year and shared with health authorities, including the NHS, a Novo spokesman said.
A follow-up of the first clinical study that followed participants after stopping Wegovy showed that all regained almost all of the weight lost over the following year said Dr. Simon Cork from Anglia Ruskin University.
This shows that obesity is a lifelong condition and that semaglutide is a treatment rather than a cure, he said, adding that Wegovy likely only offered temporary weight loss for many of the prescription patients.
About 28% of adults in England are considered obese, with a further 36% overweight, NICE said, citing 2019 figures.
Wegovy has been in high demand since its launch in the United States.
According to Novo Nordisk, sales grew nearly 300% in local currencies last year, despite severe supply problems in 2022, partly due to production constraints the company is trying to solve.
A company spokesman said there was no official launch date for the drug in the UK, but the company was working to make it available as soon as possible.
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