Novo Nordisk will introduce obesity drug Wegovy in more countries, its CEO said on Friday (August 25). - REUTERS
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00:00 The obesity drug Wigovi is coming to more countries.
00:05 That's according to the head of Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk.
00:08 But Lars Fruergaard-Jørgensen did not say where or when.
00:13 We are constrained on volumes now.
00:16 So it's not that we are in a massive launch mode.
00:23 We will be launching in more and more countries.
00:25 The demand for the medicine is so strong that we actually have to be more intentional in
00:30 how we actually get to the patients.
00:33 Wigovi leads to an average weight loss of about 15 percent when used with changes to
00:38 diet and exercise.
00:40 Earlier this month, a large-scale trial showed it also has a clear cardiovascular benefit.
00:46 That could bolster Novo's argument that U.S. insurers and health authorities should cover
00:50 the cost of the weekly injection for more patients.
00:54 It costs about $1,300 a month in the U.S.
00:58 Still, Jørgensen says it could take years before Novo can satisfy the global market.
01:03 Typically, when you launch medicines, you have a relative well-defined population that
01:10 you're going to serve.
01:13 You can schedule how you address that.
01:18 In the case of obesity, we're dealing with perhaps a billion patients around the world.