Novo Nordisk, the Danish pharmaceutical company, has launched its weight-loss injection, Wegovy, in the United Kingdom, marking its second European debut in just over a month. The move comes as Novo Nordisk strives to expand its presence in the region, despite grappling with surging demand.
In an official statement, Novo Nordisk announced that Wegovy’s availability in the United Kingdom would commence with a “controlled and limited launch.”
The unprecedented demand for Wegovy, coupled with the success of Novo’s highly effective diabetes drug, Ozempic, has propelled the company’s shares and earnings to historic highs. Last Friday, Novo Nordisk overtook LVMH as Europe’s most valuable publicly traded company, ending the French luxury conglomerate’s 2.5-year reign at the pinnacle.
Wegovy, which has demonstrated the ability to help patients reduce body weight by approximately 15% when combined with exercise and lifestyle adjustments, is already available in the United States, Norway, Denmark, and, as of late July, Germany.
Novo Nordisk’s struggle to meet the high demand for Wegovy in the United States has effectively delayed the drug’s European launch.
Despite increasing production capacity, Novo Nordisk’s CEO revealed in an interview with Reuters last month that it would take “quite some years” for the company to fully satisfy the market’s demands.
In response to the situation, the company stated, “We are closely monitoring Wegovy demand and are working with regulators and providers to ensure people living with obesity can have access to and remain on treatment.”
In March, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in Britain recommended Wegovy’s use in adults with at least one weight-related condition and a body mass index of 35. However, NICE stipulated that this recommendation should only apply within the National Health Service’s (NHS) specialist weight management program and for a maximum duration of two years.
As of now, the cost of Wegovy in the United Kingdom remains uncertain, and NICE had not responded to requests for comment at the time of this report.
Novo Nordisk clarified in its statement that Wegovy would be available both through the National Health Service’s weight management program and privately through registered healthcare professionals. However, specifics regarding the drug’s supply quantity and pricing in either scenario were not disclosed. In the United States, Wegovy sells for as much as $1,350 per month.
The implications of Wegovy’s availability through private healthcare professionals were also left unaddressed.
The Novo Nordisk statement acknowledged supply constraints, stating, “As we expect supply to be constrained for the foreseeable future, a proportion of available supply will be allocated for use only within the NHS to allow healthcare professionals to implement NICE guidance.”
In response to Reuters’ queries about the launch, an NHS spokesperson indicated that approximately 50,000 eligible patients in England could potentially receive Wegovy prescriptions through NHS specialist weight management services. Furthermore, the spokesperson emphasized NHS England’s commitment to implementing NICE guidelines for weight management while working to restore supplies of this drug class for individuals with type 2 diabetes.
Last June, the British government announced plans for a pilot program exploring the administration of new weekly weight-loss injections like Wegovy by general practitioners, although the launch date was unknown at the time.
Last week, Reuters reported limited supplies of Wegovy in Germany less than a month after its European launch, underscoring the challenges facing Novo Nordisk’s European aspirations.
