A clinical trial has revealed that Novo Nordisk's NVO weight loss drug Wegovy significantly decreases the risk of serious heart complications.
According to CNBC, the Select study tested Wegovy on around 17,500 individuals with obesity and heart disease. These participants did not have diabetes. The study found that weekly Wegovy injections reduced the overall risk of heart attack, stroke and death from cardiovascular causes by 20%.
Dr. Robert Kushner, a professor of medicine in endocrinology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, told CNBC this is the "first time that medication approved for chronic obesity management can be considered life-saving."
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These findings could potentially broaden insurance coverage for Wegovy and stimulate wider usage of the drug. This could also help Novo Nordisk maintain its lead over Eli Lilly LLY, whose competing weight-loss drug Zepbound was approved in the U.S. earlier this week.
In the five-year trial, Wegovy lowered the risk of a non-fatal heart attack by 28% and a non-fatal stroke by 7%. The drug also reduced progression to diabetes by 73%, suggesting potential early treatment use. However, nearly 17% of the trial participants discontinued using Wegovy, primarily due to gastrointestinal issues.
Despite this, medical professionals anticipate this study's results will boost the number of Wegovy users.
As of the latest trading session, shares of Novo Nordisk closed at $101.19.
This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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