LONDON — The U.K.'s health regulator on Tuesday approved the use of Novo Nordisk 's Wegovy weight loss drug to reduce the risk of overweight and obese adults suffering from serious heart problems or strokes.
The new approval from the U.K.'s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) makes the Danish pharmaceutical giant's GLP-1 obesity drug the first in the country to be prescribed for prevention of cardiovascular events in people with obesity.
It follows similar label expansion by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in March.
Shares of Novo Nordisk were up after the announcement, trading 1.46% higher by 4:10 p.m. London time after pushing higher for much of the session.
The MHRA's deputy director of innovative medicines, Shirley Hopper, said the decision marked an "important step forward" in combatting the effects of obesity.
Persons:
Shirley Hopper
Organizations:
Novo Nordisk, Medicines, Healthcare, Agency, U.S . Food, Drug Administration
Locations:
London