Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy Reduces Covid-19 Deaths

Investing.com — Novo Nordisk A/S’s (NYSE:NVO) weight-loss drug, Wegovy, has shown potential in reducing deaths and illnesses related to Covid-19, as indicated by a large-scale study conducted during the pandemic, according to Bloomberg.

The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, provides a focused examination of Novo’s extensive Wegovy trial, named Select.

By the time the pandemic commenced, the study had already enrolled over 17,600 participants suffering from obesity—an established risk factor for severe Covid-19—and heart disease.

Despite concerns over the high costs associated with weight-loss treatments raised by insurers and policymakers, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly & Co (NYSE:LLY)—the maker of the competing drug Zepbound—are striving to illustrate that their costly medications offer extensive benefits that legitimize insurance coverage.

Results from the Select study last year demonstrated that patients utilizing Wegovy had a 20% lower risk of heart attack or stroke compared to those receiving a placebo, subsequently easing broader insurance coverage.

Although the specific mechanisms showing how Wegovy may have benefited Covid-19 patients are unclear, Barry Popkin, a nutrition professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health, pointed out that the study “highlights the relationship between obesity and Covid disease severity.” It’s uncertain if this is due to reduced lung capacity in obese individuals or other factors like decreased inflammation.

Initially, the potential for Wegovy, which contains the active ingredient semaglutide, to reduce mortality from Covid-19 was unforeseen, as noted by Donna Ryan, a professor emeritus at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, who contributed to the study. However, the recent findings underscore the drug’s comprehensive impact on metabolism and inflammation, which are crucial in the body’s responses to infections and diseases.

“It’s not just weight loss, it’s not just diabetes,” Ryan emphasized, indicating the drug’s wider effects. Meanwhile, Eli Lilly has commenced studies on the anti-inflammatory impacts of Zepbound, with plans to investigate its applications in conditions like psoriasis.

The pharmaceutical market for inflammation-targeting drugs, projected at around $100 billion this year, represents one of the largest markets globally.

The link between obesity and severe Covid-19 outcomes was clear from early in the pandemic. A 2020 study led by Popkin established that individuals with obesity were over twice as likely to be hospitalized with Covid-19, 74% more likely to require intensive care, and 48% more likely to die compared to individuals without obesity. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded that approximately 30% of Covid-19 hospitalizations during the initial eight months involved patients with obesity.

In the Select study, 2.6% of participants on Wegovy experienced severe Covid-related events or death, compared to 3.1% on placebo. The study did not indicate that Wegovy prevents Covid-19 infections, as both groups had similar rates of infection.

However, the observed reduction in Covid-19 deaths among those on Wegovy contributed to lower overall mortality rates in the group. Novo scientists are diligently analyzing the data for further insights into the drug’s effects.

These findings “underscore the transformative potential of targeting obesity” to alleviate a broad spectrum of health risks, asserted Harlan Krumholz, a professor at the Yale School of Medicine.