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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new dose of the GLP-1 class weight loss drug Wegovy that’s three times the size of the previous maximum dose.
Known as “Wegovy HD,” the new doses of the semaglutide drug are 7.2 milligrams, compared to 2.4-milligram doses that were approved for chronic weight management in June 2021.
Novo Nordisk, the Danish company which makes Wegovy, said people taking the higher doses saw an average loss of 21 percent of their body weight following 72 weeks, and about one in three of more than 1,400 participants taking the injectable medication lost a quarter of their body weight or more.
“In addition to significant weight loss, Wegovy is the only GLP-1 for adults with obesity that is proven to reduce the risk of events such as stroke, heart attack, or cardiovascular death in those who also have known heart disease,” Jamey Millar, the executive vice president of Novo Nordisk’s U.S. operations, said in a statement.
“Today’s milestone expands the strong clinical profile of Wegovy that includes multiple indications that no other GLP-1 for weight loss can claim,” he said.
The FDA just approved a higher dose of Wegovy, known as ‘Wegovy HD.’ Drugmakers are working to make their injectables more effective and reduce side effects (Getty Images/iStock)
Side effects of Wegovy HD are similar to other weight loss drugs, including nausea, vomiting, constipation, fatigue, dizziness, headache, pain from being touched and hair loss.
The updated shot will be available for patients in April at more than 70,000 pharmacies and select telehealth providers.
“Additional information on coverage and savings options for eligible patients, including other programs designed to help reduce out-of-pocket costs, will also be available at that time,” Novo Nordisk said.
Novo Nordisk and competitors in the weight loss drug market are striving to develop the next big medication that can reduce the number of patients who stop taking the drugs.
That means developing drugs that are easier to take, have fewer side effects, result in more weight loss and are sold at a more affordable price point.
Novo Nordisk released a day pill – the first available GLP-1 weight loss pill – earlier this year for people who don’t want to take injections.
Novo Nordisk and other drugmakers are working to make their products more affordable and effective, changing how the drugs are made (AFP via Getty Images)
And Eli Lilly and Company, Novo Nordisk and others have been working on drugs that target more hormones than GLP-1 drugs, greatly increasing weight lost.
People taking Eli Lilly’s next-generation drug retatrutide, which requires just one jab a week, lost nearly 29 percent of their body weight after 68 weeks, the drugmaker said last December.
Eli Lilly also created an amylin analog injection that would help people lose weight without muscle mass loss, a common side effect of current drugs.
It’s unclear how much these products will cost, but current medications like Ozempic and Zepbound have patients shelling out hundreds of dollars a month without insurance.
Lowering prices has been a focus of the Trump administration and the drugmakers.
Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical giant that makes Ozempic and Wegovy, recently announced plans to slash prices by up to 50 percent.