Weight-loss drug Wegovy cuts risk of stroke, heart attacks, company said

The popular obesity drug Wegovy cuts the risk of cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and stroke, by 20%, drugmaker Novo Nordisk said Tuesday.

The popular obesity drug Wegovy cuts the risk of cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and stroke, by 20%, drugmaker Novo Nordisk said Tuesday.

The findings are the first to demonstrate that a weight-loss drug has medical benefits beyond weight reduction.

Novo Nordisk hasn't yet released the full trial results, but the study may be compelling enough to get insurance companies to provide coverage for the expensive medication, said Dr. Shauna Levy, a specialist in obesity medicine and the medical director of the Tulane Bariatric Center in New Orleans. 

Many people who take Wegovy have had trouble getting insurance to cover the weekly injections, which cost more than $1,300 for a month's supply, because the medication hasn't been considered medically necessary.

“Twenty percent is huge,” Levy said. “All of this narrative about people just wanting this for cosmetic reasons, I think, to some degree, has overshadowed all of the health benefits we can get from this medication.”