Wegovy is already approved for weight loss in the United States. It is now also authorized to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke in obese or overweight people with cardiovascular disease.
This decision could make it possible to widely extend health insurance coverage for this drug, from the Danish group Novo Nordisk. Many of them do not reimburse medications only indicated for weightloss in the U.S. About 70% of American adults are overweight or obese, according to the FDA, which says Wegovy significantly reduced the number of serious cardiovascular events.