Health Canada approves Novo Nordisk’s obesity drug to reduce risk of non-fatal heart attack

Health Canada has approved Novo Nordisk’s weight-loss drug Wegovy to reduce the risk of non-fatal heart attack, the drug maker says.

Novo Nordisk said Wednesday that Wegovy is the first Health Canada-approved treatment for both chronic weight management and to reduce the risk of non-fatal myocardial infarction.

The treatment reduces the risk of such incidents in adults with established cardiovascular disease and a body mass index equal to or greater than 27 kilograms per metre squared, according to Health Canada’s approval notice 

In Canada, heart disease is the second leading cause of death after cancer and a leading cause of hospitalization.

Dr. Jacob Udell, a cardiologist at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, called the approval huge news “that will hopefully result in more people getting the medicine as part of appropriate care for their heart disease when one also has obesity or overweight.”

Udell said the key next stage is for public and private insurers to cover the cost “and for us as a society to figure out how we are going to cover their cost.”

As with any medicine, Udell says there are cautions to keep in mind. 

“These medications should be started under the supervision of a trained clinician who understands how to prescribe the drug and to monitor response to therapy,” he said in an email. “There are well-known side-effects that need to be monitored and [the] dose adjusted accordingly.”

The European Union health regulator recently backed the drug for reducing the risk of major cardiovascular events and strokes in overweight or obese adults without diabetes.

Wegovy is also approved in the U.K. and the U.S. to lower the risk of serious heart problems or strokes in overweight and obese adults.

The drug, chemically known as semaglutide, has been authorized in Canada to treat obesity since 2021.