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Novo Nordisk, the company behind Ozempic and Wegovy, released a new analysis of the longest study it has ever conducted on long-term weight loss.
The 17,604-person study, published in Nature Medicine and presented Tuesday at the European Obesity Congress in Venice, Italy, showed for the first time that obese patients without diabetes experienced an average weight loss of over four years after taking Wegovy 10% maintained.
“We see that once the majority of weight loss is achieved, you don't gain weight back if you continue taking the drug,” said Martin Holst Lange, Novo's head of development, in an interview with Reuters.
The results show that Wegovy is effective long-term for several years as long as patients continue to take it.
Related: Thanks to America's Ozempic and Wegovy trend, Novo Nordisk is worth more than Denmark's GDP
An additional analysis based on the same data published Tuesday showed that Wegovy had heart benefits regardless of how much weight study participants lost while taking it.
Wegovy reduced the risk of stroke by 20% in overweight or obese people with a history of heart disease.
Researchers don't know exactly how Wegovy's active ingredient semaglutide protects the heart and are conducting studies to understand this.
“We also now understand that while we know that weight loss is important, it is not the only reason for the cardiovascular benefits of semaglutide treatment,” Lange told Reuters on Tuesday.
Related: These US health insurers are now covering Wegovy, the wildly popular $1,349 weight loss drug
The news could strengthen Novo's arguments that its weight loss drugs will be more widely covered by insurance companies in countries such as the US and UK
Still, the report said there were downsides to taking Wegovy – about 17% of those who took the drug dropped out of the study early because of stomach problems like nausea.
Novo has made Wegovy available in 10 countries so far, including the US, Norway, Japan and Spain, since the drug's launch in 2021. Prices start at $200 and can go up to almost $2,000 per month depending on the country.
In the US, Ozempic costs about $936 per month out of pocket, while Wegovy sells for about $1,350 per month.
Costco launched a program in April that gives members direct access to Ozempic and Wegovy when they need it, but with drug costs covered directly by customers or health insurance.
Related: Costco announces Ozempic, Wegovy Prescriptions and new weight loss program
Novo said earlier this month that at least 25,000 people in the U.S. are starting Wegovy each week.
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