DUBLIN (Reuters) – Weight loss drug Wegovy has transformed the obesity market and pharmaceutical companies with existing treatments are hoping the resulting demand will boost demand for their older, less effective but cheaper, drugs.
A weekly injection of Wegovy, which was launched in the U.S. in June 2021, leads to an average weight loss of around 15%, alongside changes to diet and exercise. Its impact has captured the attention of patients, investors and even celebrities.
But supply issues for Wegovy manufacturer Novo Nordisk means the Danish drugmaker has struggled to meet surging U.S. demand, delaying a launch in most of Europe.
Insurers and some national governments have also baulked at its cost, while a minority of patients do not respond to it.
Vivus and Currax Pharmaceuticals, U.S.-based developers whose treatments have been on the U.S. market for around a decade, hope to benefit from the attention and supply shortage.
But scientists and investors say that lower efficacy plus side effects could continue to hold the treatments back.
In the coming months, Vivus plans to launch its pill, sold as Qsiva in Europe and Qysmia in the U.S., in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. It already has regulatory approval in the U.S., Poland and South Korea, as well as these countries.
Vivus has also submitted evidence to the British regulator for the pill, and is in talks with regulators in a number of other European countries as well as in the Middle East and Mexico,
