Weekly injectable weight loss drug Wegovy is a huge hit and in short supply

Patients are flocking to the first new obesity medicine to reach the market in years, boosting returns for drugmaker Novo Nordisk A/S.

In a field starved for options, demand is exceeding supply for Wegovy, a weekly injection launched in June that dampens patients’ appetite and helps them to lose about 15% of their body weight. The Danish drugmaker’s obesity-drug revenue surged by an unprecedented 41% last quarter. 

The pandemic may have played a role in motivating people to lose weight amid evidence that carrying extra pounds can worsen the outcome for Covid-19 sufferers, Chief Executive Officer Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen said [November 3]. But the drug is also the first slimming prescription medicine to gain clearance for seven years in the U.S., where a majority of adults are overweight and struggle to either shed pounds or keep them off.

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“Demand is strong,” Fruergaard Jorgensen said on a conference call [November 3]. “It’s of course unfortunate that we can’t help all patients.” The company is working through supply constraints to produce and package as much of the medicine as possible, he said, and the imbalance should resolve early next year.

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