Novo Nordisk to more than double U.S. supply of lower Wegovy doses

[January 31, 2024]  By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Maggie Fick

COPENHAGEN/LONDON (Reuters) -Novo Nordisk will more than double supplies of lower doses of its obesity drug Wegovy in the United States compared with recent months, CEO Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen said on Wednesday, as the Danish drugmaker ramps up output of its popular therapy.

The boost in weekly injection volumes means some new patients can start treatment, he said. Weekly U.S. prescription data will start reflecting that in the coming weeks, he added.

Novo has been unable to meet runaway demand for Wegovy, and in May began limiting the number of U.S. patients who could start treatment by reducing supply of the lowest three doses of the appetite-suppressing weekly injection.

While the Danish drugmaker said on Wednesday it was boosting supplies of lower strength Wegovy doses to the U.S. market, the company has not officially lifted that restriction.

Injection pens and boxes of Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drug Wegovy are shown in this photo illustration in Oslo, Norway, November 21, 2023. REUTERS/Victoria Klesty/Illustration/File Photo

Four out of five dose strengths of Wegovy remain in shortage in the United States, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration website.

About 54,150 new U.S. prescriptions were written for the week to Jan. 19, down from a peak of 135,000 in May, according to data from healthcare data firm IQVIA reviewed by Reuters.

(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Maggie Fick; Writing by Josephine Mason; Editing by Jason Neely and Mark Potter)

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