Wegovy is a weight-loss drug. Health Canada says it can now be used to curb heart-attack risk

CBC
·4-min read
Wegovy is the first Health Canada-approved treatment for both chronic weight management and to reduce the risk of non-fatal myocardial infarction, according to its manufacturer, Novo Nordisk. (Novo Nordisk Canada Inc./CNW Group - image credit)
Wegovy is the first Health Canada-approved treatment for both chronic weight management and to reduce the risk of non-fatal myocardial infarction, according to its manufacturer, Novo Nordisk. (Novo Nordisk Canada Inc./CNW Group - image credit)

Health Canada has approved Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drug Wegovy to reduce the risk of non-fatal heart attack, the drug maker says.

Novo Nordisk said Wednesday that Wegovy is the first Health Canada-approved treatment for both chronic weight management and to reduce the risk of non-fatal myocardial infarction.

The treatment reduces the risk of such incidents in adults with established cardiovascular disease and a body mass index equal to or greater than 27 kilograms per metre squared, according to Health Canada's approval notice.

In Canada, heart disease is the second-leading cause of death after cancer and a leading cause of hospitalization. Based on self-reported measures from the 2022 Canadian Community Health Survey, close to one in three Canadians aged 18 and older (30 per cent) were obese in 2022.

Dr. Jacob Udell, division head for cardiology at Women's College Hospital in Toronto, called the approval huge news "that will hopefully result in more people getting the medicine as part of appropriate care for their heart disease when one also has obesity or overweight."

Dr. Jacob Udell is division head for cardiology at Women's College Hospital and he runs the clinical trials unit for Peter Munk Cardiac Centre at Toronto General Hospital.
Dr. Jacob Udell is division head for cardiology at Women's College Hospital and he runs the clinical trials unit for Peter Munk Cardiac Centre at Toronto General Hospital.

Dr. Jacob Udell, division head for cardiology at Women's College Hospital in Toronto, welcomes the addition of Wegovy to what he calls the bedrock of lifestyle intervention for heart patients, such as exercise and diet counselling. (Waqas Chughtai/CBC)

Udell said the key next stage is for public and private insurers to cover the cost "and for us as a society to figure out how we are going to cover their cost."

Earlier this week, the Biden administration in the U.S. proposed expanded coverage of drugs like Wegovy for more than seven million people with Medicare and Medicaid health coverage. The program would be effective starting in 2026 if president-elect Donald Trump's administration backs it.

In Canada, a Wegovy prescription costs just over $400 a month, said Michael Law, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Access to Medicines at the University of British Columbia.

WATCH | Provinces consider covering obesity-treating drugs:

Law said there are several more steps, such as a recommendation on listing Wegovy on provincial formularies to prevent heart attacks and then negotiate a discount in exchange for provinces listing it. Then, each province or territory makes an individual decision on whether to include it under their drug plan and if so, under what criteria.

"There is still a long road ahead in terms of getting this drug on a provincial formulary, if it happens at all," Law said in an interview.

As with any medicine, Udell says there are cautions to keep in mind.

Monitor side-effects

"These medications should be started under the supervision of a trained clinician who understands how to prescribe the drug and to monitor response to therapy," Udell said in an email. "There are well-known side-effects that need to be monitored and [the] dose adjusted accordingly."

Jennifer Lake, an assistant professor at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto, said Wegovy and other anti-obesity medications known as GLP-1s slow down the GI system and make you feel full sooner.

Lake said the most common side-effects people have are stomach pain, nausea and burping.

"Those will usually resolve after the first few days, though it doesn't work for some people," Lake said. "The serious side-effects are inflammation of the pancreas or kidney problems, but those are pretty rare."

Lake noted in the clinical trial of Wegovy to prevent cardiovascular disease outcomes, about 16 per cent of people taking the drug quit the therapy, about twice as many that were taking no drug, because they couldn't take it. Clinicians expect a similar drop-off in the general population, she said.

In the clinical trial, participants in both groups also received medical treatment to manage blood pressure and cholesterol and healthy lifestyle counselling, including diet and physical activity.

The European Union health regulator recently backed the drug for reducing the risk of major cardiovascular events and strokes in overweight or obese adults without diabetes.

Wegovy is also approved in the U.K. and the U.S. to lower the risk of serious heart problems or strokes in overweight and obese adults.

The drug, chemically known as semaglutide, has been authorized in Canada to treat obesity since 2021.

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