Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk has received support from European regulators to use its popular weight-loss drug, Wegovy, for treating heart failure in obese patients. This move reflects the company’s push to expand beyond its core focus on diabetes and weight-loss treatments.
On Thursday, Novo Nordisk announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) backed the use of Wegovy for heart failure. This decision follows the agency’s recent approval of the drug to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes in overweight or obese adults without diabetes, highlighting the drug’s additional health benefits beyond weight loss.
Research indicates that Wegovy’s active ingredient not only reduces stroke and heart attack risks but also helps in slowing kidney failure, reducing dementia risks, and improving physical function and pain in osteoarthritis patients.
Building on these findings, Novo Nordisk is broadening its focus to include cardiovascular diseases and other conditions, marking a shift from its traditional diabetes and weight-loss treatment areas.
The company expects the EMA to implement a label update for Wegovy in the European Union soon, reflecting its benefits in reducing heart failure symptoms and enhancing physical function. Additionally, Novo Nordisk plans to resubmit trial data to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 2025 to pursue a similar label expansion in the U.S.