After tests carried out on more than 7,000 people with obesity, this new drug shows positive results according to a first report.
The Danish laboratory Novo Nordisk has developed a new antidiabetic drug, Wegovy, which could promote weight loss in people with a BMI greater than 40. The body mass index is an indicator for measuring the degrees of obesity which is based on a calculation with height and weight. According to the High Health Authority, the first category of obesity is reached from a BMI of 30.
As indicated by BFMTV, a study was carried out by the scientific interest group in epidemiology of health products ANSM-Cnam EPI-PHARE on the effectiveness of this new drug. The results of this study carried out on more than 7,000 people with obesity were published on Tuesday March 19. Wegovy was therefore authorized in France in “early access” and was administered by a weekly injection during a 14-month test phase, from July 2022 to September 2023. This test was the first carried out on the drug before to be able to authorize possible marketing. The media indicates that this antidiabetic should only be available by prescription.
According to a joint press release from ANSM-Cnam EPI-PHARE with the National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM) and Health Insurance, the study was carried out mainly on women (65%) with an average age of 48 years. The patients all had a BMI of more than 40 and the majority of them suffered from obesity-related problems such as cholesterol or cardiovascular disease.
Questioned by BFMTV, Pierre Azam, the nutritionist doctor and founder of the obesity observatory, explained that Wegovy works like “a hormone which takes the place of a digestive hormone” and “which helps to trick the brain into carbohydrate intake and carbohydrate cravings. He also explained that the drug helps prolong satiety and plays a role in “regulating sugar in the body.” A patient who was part of the study declared to BFMTV that she had lost a little more than 30 kg in one year. She explained that the medication helped her better manage her diet and therefore helped her lose weight. But she also clarified that the medication “doesn’t do everything.”
BFMTV added that Wegovy can still cause side effects such as "nausea, vomiting, digestive intolerances" and some rare cases of "pancreatitis". Pierre Azam also clarified that the effects of the drug are unknown in the long term but estimated that Wegovy could be a useful resource against obesity if used wisely.
