Shares of Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO) rose 1% following news that the company has submitted an application to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to approve a higher dose of its obesity treatment, Wegovy.
The new application requests clearance for a 7.2 mg subcutaneous dose of semaglutide, an increase over the currently approved formulation. The submission is backed by results from the STEP UP and STEP UP T2D clinical trials, which evaluated the treatment in adults with obesity as well as those with obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Novo Nordisk reported that participants in the STEP UP study who received the 7.2 mg dose experienced an average weight loss of 21%, with roughly one-third losing 25% or more of their body weight compared to those on placebo. The higher dose maintained a safety profile in line with the 2.4 mg version already on the market.
“The submission of this new dose of Wegovy is another step forward in providing innovative solutions that meet the specific needs of people with obesity,” said Ludovic Helfgott, executive vice president and head of Product & Portfolio Strategy at Novo Nordisk.
The company indicated that, pending approval, it intends to make the higher dose accessible across the European Union. The development underscores Novo Nordisk’s continued push to expand its presence in the obesity treatment market, which remains a key area of growth for the company.