Novo Nordisk has started increasing supplies of lower doses of Wegovy, a weight loss drug, which the drug maker says will enable more new patients to start taking the medication.
The company restricted supply of the lowest doses, or starter doses, of Wegovy in May to ensure people already taking the drug were able to get their doses. Patients often start taking the lowest doses of Wegovy to minimize side effects like nausea, with the dosage gradually increasing from there.
Those restrictions limited the number of new patients able to start treatment.
"We are now enabling more new U.S. patients to initiate treatment by more than doubling the amount of the lower-dose strengths of Wegovy compared to previous months," Doug Langa, head of Novo Nordisk's North American operations, said during a call with analysts Jan. 31, according to The Wall Street Journal. "We will be gradually increasing supply throughout the remainder of 2024."
Because of supply constraints with Wegovy, some people were instead prescribed off-label Ozempic for weight loss, which is approved to treat diabetes and also made by Novo Nordisk. That led to shortages of Ozempic for people with diabetes. Ozempic and Wegovy are both glucagon-like peptide 1 agonists that share the same active ingredient: semaglutide.
In its report on 2023 financial results, Novo Nordisk said it anticipates periodic supply constraints and drug shortage notifications "across a number of products and geographies" this year.