“We hope that with this indication, these patients who unfortunately may not have had coverage for these medications before will soon find them covered.”
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Dr. Darren McGuire, a cardiologist at UT Southwestern in Dallas, Texas, called the FDA’s approval a “landmark decision in the field of medical therapy for obesity.”
He told Fox News Digital, “With this FDA action, semaglutide becomes the first medication ever in the U.S. approved for the treatment of persons living with obesity with anything beyond a claim of cardiovascular safety.”
A general view of the headquarters of Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Sept. 26, 2023. (REUTERS/Tom Little/File photo / Reuters Photos)
The decision, McGuire said, reinforces what most medical experts have known for decades — “that reducing body weight for persons living with obesity would reduce risk for a broad spectrum of obesity-related complications, cardiovascular and otherwise.”
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McGuire, who is an expert in heart disease and prevention, especially among people with diabetes, predicts that approximately one in five U.S. adults would benefit from treatment with semaglutide.
“Conservatively, around 55 million U.S. adults have an indication for cardiovascular risk reduction with semaglutide,” he said.
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Looking ahead, McGuire predicts that many similar medications will enter the market in years to come.
“Presently, semaglutide is only one drug in one class with proof of cardiovascular efficacy and with FDA approval for such,” he told Fox News Digital. “Many more medications are presently being developed and tested similarly, so this field will rapidly evolve.”
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Patients should speak with a health care provider about the potential benefits and side effects of Wegovy, experts say.
Fox News Digital reached out to Novo Nordisk requesting additional comment.
