NICE Recommends Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy for Weight Management

The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended for National Health Service (NHS) use Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy (semaglutide) as an adjunct to reduced-calorie diet and increased exercise for weight management in overweight or obese adults who have at least one weight-related comorbidity.

However, NICE limited its recommendation of the drug to a maximum of two years of use and said patients should consider discontinuing the drug if they have lost less than 5 percent of their initial weight after six months of treatment.

The recommendation is supported by clinical trial evidence that showed people taking Wegovy and undergoing supervised weight management support lost more weight than those who went through supervised weight management support alone.

The starting dose for Wegovy is 0.25 mg, followed by a once-weekly maintenance dose of 2.4 mg. The list price was not disclosed.