Novo Nordisk to launch Wegovy in more countries in 'constrained' manner
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[August 25, 2023]
By Maggie Fick and Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -Novo Nordisk plans to launch its hugely popular
Wegovy weight-loss drug in more countries, albeit in a "constrained"
manner as it will take years before it can meet global demand, CEO Lars
Fruergaard Jorgensen said on Friday.
The Danish company's injectable Wegovy is the first to market in a new
class of highly effective weight-loss drugs. Used alongside changes to
diet and exercise, Wegovy leads to an average weight loss of around 15%.
Since its launch in June 2021, the drug has been flying off the shelves
in the United States, where more than 40% of the population is obese.
But Novo has struggled to keep up with demand even as it has added
production capacity.
Jorgensen told a Reuters Newsmaker event on Friday that the company was
planning to launch the drug in more countries while at the same time
"trying to constrain all these launches."
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Aug/25/images/ads/current/remington_sda_FAIR_2023.png)
"This is a very unusual situation to be in for a pharmaceutical company
because typically when you launch medicines, you have a relatively well
defined population that you're going to serve," Jorgensen said.
"We're dealing with perhaps a billion patients around the world," he
said, adding it would "take quite some years" before the company can
satisfy the whole market.
Earlier this month, a late-stage, large-scale trial showed Wegovy also
has a clear cardiovascular benefit, giving a boost to Novo's hopes of
positioning it as more than a lifestyle drug.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Aug/25/images/ads/current/goodman_sda_FAIR_2022.png)
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![](../images/082523PIX/health39.jpg)
CEO of Novo Nordisk Lars Fruergaard
Jorgensen is seen during the 6th edition of the "Choose France"
Summit at the Chateau de Versailles, outside Paris on May 15, 2023.
LUDOVIC MARIN/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Aug/25/images/ads/current/zachs_quarter_FAIR_2023.png) "We can see that the demand for the
medicine is so strong, that we actually have to be more intentional
in how we get through to the patients we would like to get through
to and how we collaborate with healthcare systems," Jorgensen said.
Novo has also had problems with its contract manufacturer. Reuters
reported in July that Catalent's factory in Brussels that fills
Wegovy injection pens had repeatedly breached U.S. sterile-safety
rules in recent years and staff had failed to perform required
quality checks.
Jorgensen said he was confident Catalent would resolve its problems
and that he hoped to have a third external facility filling and
finishing the injection pens by 2024.
Last month, Novo launched Wegovy in Germany, its first big European
market. Wegovy is also available in Norway and Denmark.
Jorgensen also said Novo would work with European healthcare systems
to ensure less affluent, but often the most obese, people get access
to Wegovy.
"In Europe, we would aim to seek reimbursement for those patients
with the highest BMI, have co-morbidities, and perhaps also those
less fortunate from a socio-economic point of view,"
(Reporting by Maggie Fick and Jacob Gronholt-PedersenEditing by
Josephine Mason and Mark Potter)
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