Novo Nordisk launches weight loss injection wegovy in UK: Novo Nordisk, a Danish pharmaceutical company, has introduced its weight-loss injection Wegovy in Britain in an effort to increase its market share and meet growing demand. Wegovy will be made available in the UK “through a controlled and limited launch,” according to the business.
Wegovy has been demonstrated to assist patients in losing about 15% of their body weight when combined with exercise and dietary adjustments. The injection was offered in Germany, the United States, Norway, and Denmark as of July. The debut of Wegovy across the majority of Europe has been delayed as a result of Novo’s failure to meet US demand.
The drug’s soaring demand as well as Novo’s extremely successful diabetic medication Ozempic have driven the company’s stock and earnings to all-time highs. The French luxury group’s two-and-a-half-year reign at the top came to an end on Friday when it dethroned LVMH as the most valuable listed business in Europe.
Wegovy has so far been made available in the United States, Norway, Denmark, and, as of late July, Germany. It has been demonstrated to help patients reduce body weight by about 15% when used in conjunction with exercise and lifestyle changes.
Even though it increased production capacity, the company has failed to keep up with demand, and its CEO told Reuters last month that it will “take quite some years” before it can fulfill the entire market.
We are closely observing the demand for Wegovy and coordinating with regulators and suppliers to ensure that people with obesity can obtain therapy and continue it, the business said in a statement.
The National Health Service’s (NHS) specialized weight management program is the only setting in which Wegovy is indicated for use in people with at least one weight-related condition and a body mass index of 35.
The medicine will be offered both through the National Health Service’s weight control program and privately through a licensed healthcare provider, according to Novo’s statement.
In none of the two treatment scenarios suggested by Novo, did it specify how much supply it would make accessible in the UK or how much Wegovy would cost. The medicine can cost as much as $1,350 per month in the US.
What would happen if the medicine was made available to private healthcare providers wasn’t immediately clear.
A portion of the supply will be designated for use only within the NHS to enable healthcare professionals to execute NICE recommendations because we anticipate supply to be constrained for the foreseeable future, according to the statement.
Although the launch date for Wegovy wasn’t clear at the time, the British government announced in June that it intended to begin a trial program investigating how new weekly weight-loss shots like Wegovy can be administered to obese patients by general practitioners.
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Describe Wegovy.
Semaglutide, a GLP-1 homologue, is sold under the trade name Wegovy. It is a weight-loss medication created by Novo Nordisk, a Danish pharmaceutical company.
Wegovy should be recommended to persons with a specific BMI (often 30kg/m2 and higher) and at least one weight-related health condition, according to NICE recommendations released this year.
Wegovy is a weight control alternative that NICE advises being provided to adults with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes as part of a specialized weight management treatment. This will rely on the individual’s specific situation, as well as elements including their existing treatment regimen and risk of adverse effects.
Now available in the UK is Wegovy.
A limited supply of Wegovy will be made available to persons in specialized NHS weight management services who match the NICE eligibility requirements, or privately through a licensed healthcare provider, according to a Novo Nordisk announcement made on September 4th, 2023.
These specialized NHS services will offer nutrition counseling and exercise support to patients who are prescribed Wegovy.
Although the Department of Health announced a two-year pilot program to combat obesity in June 2023, Wegovy cannot yet be prescribed outside of specialized weight management services. However, the program will investigate how Wegovy can be prescribed outside of these services, which are primarily hospital-based.
The pilot will examine how GPs could safely suggest Wegovy and how the NHS can offer support in the community or online in order to make it available to more individuals who may be eligible. According to the government, the NICE recommendations will result in about 35,000 people having access to Wegovy.
The only drugs that are currently regulated and approved for weight loss in the UK are Wegovy, Saxenda,Ozempic, and Mounjaro.
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