HQ Team
June 21, 2025: Novo Nordisk’s medicine Wegovy, at a higher dose, resulted in an average weight loss of 21% during trials in people with obesity compared to a dummy drug, the company stated.
The Danish drugmaker completed two trials, investigating the efficacy and safety of semaglutide 7.2 mg in people with obesity with or without type 2 diabetes.
The 72-week trial was designed to evaluate the efficacy of semaglutide 7.2 mg compared to semaglutide 2.4 mg and a placebo as an adjunct to lifestyle intervention.
The trial included 1,407 adults with a body mass index of more than or equal to 30 kg/m2 without diabetes.
People with diabetes
A second trial investigated the higher dose in 512 adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes. The primary objective was to demonstrate the superiority of semaglutide 7.2 mg against placebo on weight loss. Key secondary endpoints included the number of participants achieving 10%, 15%, 20% and 25% weight loss, respectively.
Wegovy (semaglutide 7.2 mg) demonstrated a mean weight loss of 21%, with a third of participants losing 25% or more of their body weight compared to 2.4% in placebo at 72 weeks, according to a company statement.
The safety and tolerability of the higher dose were consistent with the currently approved dose of semaglutide 2.4 mg.
The company presented the results from the trial in people with obesity but not diabetes at the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions in Chicago, US.
‘More options’
The trial “demonstrated that we can increase the dose of semaglutide and achieve greater weight loss than previously seen, and in line with semaglutide’s established safety profile,” said Sean Wharton, lead study author and medical director of the Wharton Medical Clinic, Canada.
“These findings help to give patients with obesity more options for improvements in their weight and overall health.”
Wharton said semaglutide was known to benefit people with heart disease, liver disease, knee osteoarthritis, type 2 diabetes and prediabetes.
Ludovic Helfgott, executive vice president of Product & Portfolio Strategy at Novo Nordisk, said: “With these results, semaglutide reaffirms its significant weight loss for people with obesity. The trial delivers a substantial weight loss of over 20%, in addition to health benefits previously demonstrated with semaglutide.”
“As pioneers in obesity, we continue to develop new innovative treatments to fit the needs and preferences of people living with obesity.
Oral formulation
“This includes maximising the value of semaglutide for individuals, healthcare systems and society, and developing a new oral formulation of Wegovy that, pending FDA approval, can become the first GLP-1 pill to offer double-digit weight loss,” he said.
Novo Nordisk expects to file the higher dose of Wegovy for a label update in the EU in the second half of 2025, followed by regulatory submissions in other markets where it is already approved.
In the EU, Wegovy is also indicated for paediatric patients aged 12 years and older. In the US, it is advised in combination with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.
