health
FDA approves higher dose version of weight loss drug Wegovy as Novo Nordisk tries to win back market share
The high-dose Wegovy helped patients with obesity lose an average 20.7% of their weight after 72 weeks in a phase three trial.
TL;DR
- The FDA approved a higher dose of Novo Nordisk's weight loss drug Wegovy.
- The new dose aims to help Novo Nordisk compete with Eli Lilly's Zepbound, which has shown higher weight loss efficacy.
- A phase three trial showed the high-dose Wegovy resulted in an average 20.7% weight loss in obese patients over 72 weeks.
- The standard dose of Wegovy has shown an average of 15% weight loss in clinical trials.
- The higher dose also demonstrated an average 14.1% weight loss in patients with obesity and Type 2 diabetes.
- This approval is the first under the FDA's new national priority voucher plan for faster drug reviews.
- Novo Nordisk expects to launch the higher dose in April.