Meteoric Rise of Weight-Loss Drug Wegovy Brings Pushback to Novo Nordisk

In June of 2021, the FDA approved Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy to aid in weight management in overweight adults with weight-related chronic conditions like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol. Since then, the drug has soared in popularity, with prescriptions growing by 732% between January/February 2023 and the same months one year prior.

Wegovy works by mimicking a hormone that regulates appetite in the brain, increasing the sensation of satiety in patients. In trials, individuals using Wegovy lost significantly more weight than patients using a placebo with a reduced-calorie diet and physical exercise. Novo Nordisk also sells the same product in a lower maximum dose form called Ozempic, which has been shown to help type 2 diabetes patients better regulate their blood glucose levels.

Novo Nordisk markets its weight-loss drug as a product that can help patients lose weight and keep it off, but the semiglutide injection also comes with a list of serious possible side effects, including thyroid tumors, pancreatitis, bladder problems, kidney problems, and others.

The Danish company’s marketing strategy is at the center of its recent tiff with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI). The ABPI suspended Novo Nordisk after breaches of the code of practice were observed with its marketing of Saxenda, a once-daily medication that served as the predecessor to Wegovy. According to the ABPI, the company failed to reveal its sponsorship of a weight management course promoted on LinkedIn that highlighted the benefits of its drugs.

In a similar situation, the CBS program 60 Minutes aired a segment promoting Wegovy after receiving advertising payments from the company. The Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) cited the television segment as violating the FDA’s fair balance requirement for its feature of paid experts who neglected to discuss alternative weight loss methods or the drug’s contraindications. PCRM has also railed against Novo Nordisk for its pricing of the drug, which can amount to $1,300 per week if not covered by insurance.

In 2011, Novo Nordisk paid a $46.5 million fine to the federal government and certain US states for marketing Victoza to treat type 2 diabetes. In that case, Novo Nordisk settled after private whistle-blowers and the FDA alleged that the company had failed to fully communicate drug safety information and marketed their product for uses not approved by the FDA.

Despite pushback from industry groups, the company is already reaping huge profits after it increased its sale of obesity care drugs by 99% between January and June of last year.