Novo Nordisk said patients taking a bigger dose of its blockbuster obesity drug lost more weight than those on a lower dose, without experiencing an increase in side-effects.

Novo Nordisk's blockbuster diabetes drug Ozempic and weight-loss treatment Wegovy are among the 15 drugs targeted for Medicare price negotiations for 2027, the U.S. government said on Friday.

A high dose of Novo Nordisk’s obesity drug Wegovy led patients to lose substantial weight in a clinical trial, but still less than what’s been seen with Zepbound.

Novo Nordisk said patients taking a bigger dose of its blockbuster obesity drug lost more weight than those on a lower dose, without experiencing an increase in side effects.

Wegovy, the weight-loss brand of semaglutide, has a recommended maintenance dose of 2.4 mg. Novo ran the Phase III STEP UP trial to evaluate the effect of increasing the maximum dose to 7.2 mg. The trial randomized 1,407 adults with obesity, but not diabetes, to receive either 7.2 mg or 2.4 mg of semaglutide or placebo.

The US plans to slash the price it pays for the Novo Nordisk A/S blockbusters Ozempic and Wegovy, the latest drugs to be targeted under legislation that’s expected save the government more than $200 billion over a decade.

GLP-1 weight loss drugs, Ozempic and Wegovy, will be targeted in the next round of Medicare price negotiations in 2027, along with 13 other medications. Seana Smith and Brad Smith break down the details on Morning Brief.

Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Wegovy, among 15 drugs including Pfizer's Ibrance, will face Medicare price negotiations in 2027, as mandated by the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act. The negotiations aim to curb high costs for Medicare beneficiaries,

Novo Nordisk (NVO) announced Friday that a higher-dose version of its popular obesity therapy, semaglutide, marketed as Wegovy led to 20.7% weight loss over 72 weeks compared to 17.5% weight loss achieved by regular semaglutide in a late-stage trial.