Branching Off: Wegovy

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It’s been a big year for GLP-1s, and Wegovy is leading the pack. Similarly to Ozempic, Wegovy’s main ingredient is semaglutide, making it popular among patients who are either trying to lose or control their weight. In 2021, FDA approved the drug for chronic weight management for adults with at least one weight-related condition.¹

However, the FDA added a new indication for Wegovy this year for reducing the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack, and stroke in adults with cardiovascular disease who are also obese or overweight.² This notable new development earned the drug a place on this year’s highlight list of select product launches. When used alongside a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity, Wegovy is the first treatment indicated for reducing cardiovascular events and for long-term weight management.

According to Sylvia Shubert, US therapeutic area head for obesity in commercial strategy and marketing, Novo Nordisk, while interest in Wegovy has been high for some time now, it was amplified considerably due to the new approval. As a result, Novo Nordisk knew it had to capitalize on the moment.

“On June 1, Novo Nordisk launched the Power of Wegovy campaign to educate on the clinical data of Wegovy (semaglutide) 2.4 mg injection and reflect the collective empowerment people living with obesity can feel when they don’t have to manage their weight alone,” Shubert told Pharmaceutical Executive. “The national launch follows an update to the FDA-approved label for Wegovy, including the removal of body mass index descriptors from the weight-management indication and the addition of the new MACE (major adverse cardiovascular events) risk reduction indication.”

The campaign not only worked to take advantage of Wegovy’s new indication, but also to provide education for responsible use of the medicine. Over the past two years, GLP-1s have become increasingly popular with people looking for help with weight management. This popularity has made drugs such as Wegovy and Ozempic hard to come by, especially for new prescribers.

“Obesity is a serious, chronic, and misunderstood disease which affects many people, including friends, colleagues, families, and loved ones,” says Shubert. “We take our responsibility to meet the needs of people living with obesity and the healthcare professionals who treat them very seriously and recognize that many people are counting on us. For the last year, Novo Nordisk has thoughtfully and responsibly managed shipments on the three lowest dose strengths of Wegovy in an effort to support continuity of care for existing patients while we worked to increase our production capacity.”

According to Novo Nordisk, its efforts to increase the supply of Wegovy have been successful. As of this writing, the company says that it is seeing an average of about 35,000 new US patient starts of Wegovy on a weekly basis.

“While we will do our best to support those who want to start taking Wegovy, it is important to recognize that overall demand will continue to exceed supply and some patients may still have difficulty filling Wegovy prescriptions,” adds Shubert. “We will continue to closely monitor market dynamics and prescribing trends and are doing everything we can to manufacture more Wegovy, including running our manufacturing lines 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

The success of GLP-1s has shined a new spotlight on obesity and weight management among adults. Wegovy and Ozempic are popular drugs among celebrities and social media users, resulting in a rise in popularity and high demand. However, Novo Nordisk continues to work to make sure that the population is properly educated about the medications and their intended use.

“Novo Nordisk took a stand decades ago that obesity is a misunderstood disease, not a personal failing or issue of vanity; it’s a matter of health,” notes Shubert. “As a pioneer and leader in this space, we continue to partner broadly to break down barriers to care, invest in building capacity, and educate all stakeholders about semaglutide.”

Novo Nordisk continues to explore potential new uses for Wegovy in clinical trials, including evaluating its ability to treat adults across a variety of cardiometabolic disease states.

“Our Phase IIIA ESSENCE trial is investigating semaglutide 2.4 mg in people with the liver disease MASH, or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, versus placebo,” says Shubert.

While Wegovy may be cleared for more uses to come, it’s likely to remain most recognized in the obesity arena. “Since [Wegovy’s approval for weight management], Novo Nordisk has served over one million US patients, and we have seen obesity become more widely recognized as a complex disease,” says Shubert.

References

1. FDA Approves New Drug Treatment for Chronic Weight Management, First Since 2014. FDA. June 4, 2021. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-new-drug-treatment-chronic-weight-management-first-2014

2. FDA Approves First Treatment to Reduce Risk of Serious Heart Problems Specifically in Adults with Obesity or Overweight. FDA. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-treatment-reduce-risk-serious-heart-problems-specifically-adults-obesity-or