Obese and overweight adults with heart disease could now get a Wegovy prescription to reduce their risk of a heart attack or stroke.
The FDA approved the treatment for this use in non-diabetic adults today after large-scale studies showed the drug slashed their risk of the complications by up to 28 percent.
The agency added that Wegovy — which uses semaglutide — should be used alongside a low-calorie diet and increased levels of physical activity.
Shares in the drug’s owner Novo Nordisk surged to $566billion yesterday, making it the 12th most valuable company in the world, after it revealed a new medication that could prompt weight loss twice as fast as Ozempic.
The FDA approved the medication for this use in non-diabetic patients today, following clinical trials which showed it cut the risk by up to 28 percent
Wegovy — which uses the drug semaglutide — was already approved for use in overweight or obese patients for weight loss.
Its sister medication Ozempic, which uses lower doses of the same drug, is currently only approved for patients with type 2 diabetes.
A number of doctors are, however, prescribing both drugs ‘off label’, or in a way that is not approved by regulators, to other patients — sparking shortages.
Dr John Sharretts, at the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said: ‘Wegovy is now the first weight loss medication to also be approved to help prevent life-threatening cardiovascular events in adults with cardiovascular disease and either obesity or overweight.
‘This patient population has a higher risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack and stroke.
‘Providing a treatment option that is proven to lower this cardiovascular risk is a major advance for public health.’
Today’s announcement means it is more likely that health insurance companies will cover the drug for patients, which can cost upward of $1,300 per week out-of-pocket.
Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk published data from a trial involving 17,604 patients who had heart disease in November which showed those who took their drug had a lower risk of heart attacks or strokes.
In the trial, patients were randomly assigned to receive either a once-weekly shot of Wegovy or a placebo for 33 months.
Over this period, there were 569 patients who got the drug had a heart attack or stroke compared to 701 who were in the placebo group.
Analysis showed this was an overall reduction in risk of about 20 percent for the group.
Their risk of heart disease was cut by 28 percent, while their risk of a non-fatal stroke dropped by seven percent and of heart-related death by 15 percent.
The same paper also found that the drug could slash the risk even before significant weight loss had occurred.
About 18.2million Americans have heart disease, with a large proportion of these being obese or overweight.
Patients who are overweight or obese are at higher risk of the complication because they are more likely to have high blood pressure or high cholesterol or because their heart is under increased strain as it supplies blood and nutrients to the body.
Warning signs of heart disease include chest pain, shortness of breath, swelling in the legs, ankles or feet and suffering from fatigue.
Treatments also currently include statins, which are very low cost and can help to lower blood pressure.
