Novo Nordisk’s obesity drug Wegovy cut the risk of major heart complications by 20% in a closely watched trial, results that could streamline insurance coverage and spur even greater demand for the highly popular therapy.
The milestone Select trial of about 17,500 patients with obesity and heart disease is the first to show that a weight loss medication leads to long-term cardiovascular benefits.
The company reported only the top-line figure in a press release Tuesday, and did not break out the reductions it said were seen in heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular deaths — the combined components of the study’s primary outcome. It said all three contributed to the decrease in cardiovascular events in the group that received Wegovy compared with participants given a placebo.
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