In Business news

Follow this topic

Bookmark

Record learning outcomes

A new ‘triple-strength’ Wegovy dose has received MHRA approval, with manufacturer Novo Nordisk indicating it is expected to launch this year. 

The once-weekly injectable medicine is indicated for weight management in adults living with obesity and contains 7.2mg of semaglutide, the active ingredient.  

The maximum strength of the drug currently prescribed on the NHS is 2.4mg.

The higher-strength product will be subject to a NICE cost-efficacy review before it is approved to be prescribed on the NHS. 

The manufacturer said it is “working with the NHS and private providers to establish access for patients across the UK”. 

The company said clinical trial findings suggested the product could “be used to achieve greater weight loss in people living with obesity not reaching their therapeutic goals after being on the 2.4mg maintenance dose for at least four weeks”. 

“Results showed that if all participants adhered to treatment, semaglutide 7.2mg achieved a superior weight loss of 20.7 per cent versus 2.4 per cent with placebo after 72 weeks, with a third of participants losing 25 per cent or more of their body wright compared to placebo,” it added.

The company said the proportion of people who left the trial due to side effects was “comparable” to those who had taken the 2.4mg product in a previous trial and that most side effects were “mild to moderate in severity”. 

Novo Nordisk UK general manager Sebnem Avsar Tuna commented: “The addition of a new dose of semaglutide provides healthcare professionals with greater flexibility to tailor treatment for people living with obesity, supporting evidence-based approaches to improve health outcomes.”

The MHRA approval follows the recent news that a once-daily Wegovy Pill is to launch in the USA, suggesting a possible resurgence for Novo Nordisk in the GLP-1 space after its weight management medicines were outpaced by rival product Mounjaro.