American health authorities announced on Friday that the drug “Wegovi”, which was previously approved for use in the United States for weight loss, has also been approved to reduce the risk of heart attacks or strokes in obese or overweight people with cardiovascular disease.
This decision may allow health insurance companies to expand their coverage of the cost of purchasing this drug produced by the Novo Nordisk group, as a large portion of them do not cover medications prescribed only for weight loss.
“Wegovi is now the first weight-loss drug also approved to help prevent potentially fatal cardiovascular events in these overweight patients,” said FDA Chief John Charets.
In 2021, the American authorities approved the use of “Wegovi” based on the semaglutide molecule for individuals who suffer from obesity or overweight, as well as a health problem related to them, such as type 2 diabetes, cholesterol, and others.
Wegovi belongs to a new generation of drugs that mimic the gastrointestinal hormone GLP-1, which has quickly become one of the best-selling drugs around the world.
However, the high prices of these medicines prevent many people from purchasing them.
The US Food and Drug Administration’s decision on Friday was based on a large clinical trial during which 17,600 people received either Novo Nordisk or a placebo.
The American authority confirmed that “Wegovi significantly reduced the number of acute cardiovascular events,” such as heart attacks or strokes.
She explained that these incidents “affected 6.5 percent of the participants who received Wegovi, compared to 8 percent of the participants who received a placebo.”
Vigovi is given by injection, and can cause severe side effects such as pancreatitis, as well as nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, and others.
The FDA stressed the need for the use of “Wegov” to be accompanied by a low-calorie diet and increased physical activity.
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