- Designed to celebrate diverse, unique portrayals of
individuals who partner with their healthcare professional to
change the course of their weight-management journey, while
educating on the clinical data of Wegovy®
- Reflects the power of personal journeys to address stigma,
and the importance of us all working together to address excess
weight and treat obesity
PLAINSBORO, N.J., June 3, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Novo Nordisk today launched The Power of
Wegovy®, a new national campaign. The campaign aims to
educate on the clinical data of Wegovy® (semaglutide)
2.4 mg injection and reflect the collective empowerment people
living with obesity can feel when they don't have to manage their
weight alone.
Wegovy® is an injectable prescription medicine used
with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity to
reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events such as death, heart
attack, or stroke in adults with known heart disease and with
either obesity or overweight and that may help adults with obesity
or overweight with weight-related medical problems lose excess body
weight and keep the weight off. Wegovy® contains
semaglutide and should not be used with other
semaglutide-containing products or other GLP-1 receptor agonist
medicines. Wegovy® may cause serious side effects, such
as possible thyroid tumors, including cancer. See below for
Important Safety Information and a link to the Medication Guide and
Prescribing Information.
[Watch the Power of Wegovy here]
As we continue to make progress on increasing supply for
Wegovy® (WegovySupply.com) to meet continued demand,
Novo Nordisk is equally focused on reinforcing the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) approved uses for Wegovy®
among patients and the general public, which this campaign will
support.
The campaign comes following an update to the FDA-approved label
for Wegovy®, including the removal of body mass index
descriptors from the weight-management indication and the addition
of a new cardiovascular risk reduction indication for those with
obesity or overweight with known heart disease.1
Novo Nordisk is working hard to ensure access is aligned to both
indications. This is alongside broader efforts to expand coverage
overall for obesity medications, including recent Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) guidance to cover the Medicare
Part D population living with overweight or obesity who also have
known heart disease.
"Diverse representation in health care campaigns can play a
significant role in patients feeling seen, heard and understood,
especially in a stigmatized space like obesity, which we've been
engaged in for more than two decades," said Tejal Vishalpura,
Senior Vice President, Commercial Strategy and Marketing for Novo
Nordisk. "The Power of Wegovy® is committed to
representing a cross section of unique perspectives at this
cultural inflection point in society, especially when the
connection between obesity, cardiovascular risk, and the importance
of patient-centered care is so much a part of the public
discourse."
Although coverage for obesity medications has improved, cost and
access remain important considerations. As such, the Power of
Wegovy® campaign reinforces that people should check
cost and prescription insurance coverage to have an informed
conversation with a healthcare professional. More than 80% of
people with commercial insurance coverage using the
Wegovy® savings offer pay $25 or less per month. It's important to
recognize that overall demand will continue to exceed supply which
means that some patients may still have difficulty filling
Wegovy® prescriptions. We will continue to closely
monitor market dynamics and prescribing trends.
Novo Nordisk continues to prioritize responsible use of its
medicines. Wegovy® is the only semaglutide-containing
medicine approved for weight management. Wegovy® is the
first and only weight management medicine that is also FDA-approved
to lower the risk of major cardiovascular events such as death,
heart attack, or stroke in adults with known heart disease and
either obesity or overweight.
About Wegovy® (semaglutide) injection 2.4
mg
What is Wegovy®?
WEGOVY® (semaglutide) injection 2.4 mg is an
injectable prescription medicine used with a reduced calorie diet
and increased physical activity:
- to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events such as
death, heart attack, or stroke in adults with known heart disease
and with either obesity or overweight.
- that may help adults and children aged 12 years and older with
obesity, or some adults with overweight who also have
weight-related medical problems, to help them lose excess body
weight and keep the weight off.
Wegovy® contains semaglutide and should not be used
with other semaglutide-containing products or other GLP-1 receptor
agonist medicines.
It is not known if Wegovy® is safe and effective for
use in children under 12 years of age.
Important Safety Information
What is the most important information I should know about
Wegovy®?
Wegovy ® may cause serious
side effects, including:
- Possible thyroid tumors, including cancer. Tell your
healthcare provider if you get a lump or swelling in your neck,
hoarseness, trouble swallowing, or shortness of breath. These may
be symptoms of thyroid cancer. In studies with rodents,
Wegovy® and medicines that work like
Wegovy® caused thyroid tumors, including thyroid cancer.
It is not known if Wegovy® will cause thyroid tumors or
a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC)
in people
- Do not use Wegovy® if you or any of your family
have ever had a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid
carcinoma (MTC) or if you have an endocrine system condition called
Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2)
Do not use Wegovy® if:
- you or any of your family have ever had a type of thyroid
cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) or if you have
an endocrine system condition called Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia
syndrome type 2 (MEN 2)
- you have had a serious allergic reaction to semaglutide or
any of the ingredients in Wegovy®
Before using Wegovy®, tell your healthcare
provider if you have any other medical conditions, including if
you:
- have or have had problems with your pancreas or kidneys
- have type 2 diabetes and a history of diabetic retinopathy
- have or have had depression, suicidal thoughts, or mental
health issues
- are pregnant or plan to become
pregnant. Wegovy® may harm your unborn baby. You
should stop using Wegovy® 2 months before you plan to
become pregnant
- are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known
if Wegovy® passes into your breast milk
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you
take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines,
vitamins, and herbal supplements. Wegovy® may affect the
way some medicines work and some medicines may affect the way
Wegovy® works. Tell your healthcare provider if you are
taking other medicines to treat diabetes, including sulfonylureas
or insulin. Wegovy® slows stomach emptying and can
affect medicines that need to pass through the stomach quickly.
What are the possible side effects of
Wegovy®?
Wegovy® may cause serious
side effects, including:
- inflammation of your pancreas (pancreatitis). Stop using
Wegovy® and call your healthcare provider right away if
you have severe pain in your stomach area (abdomen) that will not
go away, with or without vomiting. You may feel the pain from your
abdomen to your back
- gallbladder problems. Wegovy® may cause
gallbladder problems, including gallstones. Some gallstones may
need surgery. Call your healthcare provider if you have symptoms,
such as pain in your upper stomach (abdomen), fever, yellowing of
the skin or eyes (jaundice), or clay-colored stools
- increased risk of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), especially
those who also take medicines for diabetes such as insulin
or sulfonylureas. This can be a serious side effect. Talk
to your healthcare provider about how to recognize and treat low
blood sugar and check your blood sugar before you start and while
you take Wegovy®. Signs and symptoms of low blood sugar
may include dizziness or light-headedness, blurred vision, anxiety,
irritability or mood changes, sweating, slurred speech, hunger,
confusion or drowsiness, shakiness, weakness, headache, fast
heartbeat, or feeling jittery
- kidney problems (kidney failure). In people who have
kidney problems, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting may cause a loss of
fluids (dehydration), which may cause kidney problems to get worse.
It is important for you to drink fluids to help reduce your chance
of dehydration
- serious allergic reactions. Stop using
Wegovy® and get medical help right away, if you have any
symptoms of a serious allergic reaction, including swelling of your
face, lips, tongue, or throat; problems breathing or swallowing;
severe rash or itching; fainting or feeling dizzy; or very rapid
heartbeat
- change in vision in people with type 2 diabetes. Tell
your healthcare provider if you have changes in vision during
treatment with Wegovy®
- increased heart rate. Wegovy® can increase
your heart rate while you are at rest. Tell your healthcare
provider if you feel your heart racing or pounding in your chest
and it lasts for several minutes
- depression or thoughts of suicide. You should pay
attention to any mental changes, especially sudden changes in your
mood, behaviors, thoughts, or feelings. Call your healthcare
provider right away if you have any mental changes that are new,
worse, or worry you
The most common side effects of Wegovy® may
include: nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, stomach
(abdomen) pain, headache, tiredness (fatigue), upset stomach,
dizziness, feeling bloated, belching, low blood sugar in people
with type 2 diabetes, gas, stomach flu, heartburn, and runny nose
or sore throat.
Please see Medication Guide and Prescribing Information,
including Boxed Warning, for Wegovy® at
https://www.novo-pi.com/wegovy.pdf
About Novo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk is a leading global
healthcare company that's been making innovative medicines to help
people with diabetes lead longer, healthier lives for more than 100
years. This heritage has given us experience and capabilities that
also enable us to drive change to help people defeat other serious
chronic diseases such as obesity, rare blood, and endocrine
disorders. We remain steadfast in our conviction that the formula
for lasting success is to stay focused, think long-term, and do
business in a financially, socially, and environmentally
responsible way. With U.S. headquarters in New Jersey and commercial, production and
research facilities in seven states plus Washington DC, Novo Nordisk employs
approximately 8,000 people throughout the country. For more
information, visit novonordisk-us.com, Facebook, Instagram, and
X.
Novo Nordisk is committed to the responsible use of our
semaglutide-containing medicines which represent distinct products
with different indications, dosages, prescribing information,
titration schedules, and delivery forms. These products are not
interchangeable and should not be used outside of their approved
indications. Learn more at Semaglutide.com.
Reference
- Wegovy® (semaglutide) injection 2.4 mg Prescribing
Information. Plainsboro, NJ: Novo
Nordisk Inc.
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