FDA Approves First New Drug Since 2014 for Weight- loss

A new medication called 'Wagovy' produced by Novo Nordisk has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help patients with obesity manage their weight. It is the first chronic weight management drug to have been approved by the FDA since 2014.

Wegovy is a synthetic version of a hormone in the gut known as glycogen like peptide 1 (GLP-1). It works by targeting areas of the brain that regulate appetite and food intake.

Prior approval, the drug's safety and efficacy was examined in four 68 -week trials. Throughout these trials, over 2,600 patients received Wegovy for up to 68 weeks while over 1,500 placebo.

In the largest of the trials participants had an average weight of 231 pounds 105 kg and an average BMI of 38 kg per metre square prior to taking the drug.

Average age at the beginning of the trial was 46 years old and 74% of the participants were female and had diabetes at the end of the trial the researchers found that those who received were we lost an average of 1.4 % of their initial body weight compared to those who received the placebo.

In another trial, average age 55, 51% of the participants were female, and all had type 2 diabetes. Their average body weight was 220 pounds (100 kg) and their average BMI was 36 kg per metre square. In this trial, patients on Wegovy lost 6.2 % of their body weight in comparison to those in the control group.

Common side effects of the drug include nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, constipation, abominable pain, fatigue and low blood sugar. Among those with diabetes, side effects also included flatulence and gastroenteritis an(intestinal infection). While most side effects resolved on their own, 5% of the participants stop taking the medication because of them.

"Individuals with obesity and type 2 diabetes are likely good candidate for the dual benefit of improved blood sugar control and weight loss," said Dr. Aleem Kabhi, a board-certified endocrinologist and obesity medicine physician with endocrinology in Houston, to Healthline.